Falling for a Nobody
by iceandfire66
Summary: As Aqua spends her solitude in the Realm of Darkness, she finds a way to escape and runs into a familiar face...Xemnas. As she begins helping the Organization, Aqua finds that fate is truly unpredictable. XemnasxAqua and TerraxAqua
1. Chapter 1: Reunited

**Falling for a Nobody**

**Chapter 1: Reunited**

**Disclaimer: All rights to the Kingdom Hearts Franchise belong to Square Enix and Disney**

Xehanort. Terra. Ventus. Aqua. Land of Departure. All these words flowed through Xemnas's mind as he sat on his throne. Yet the powerful warrior had trouble remembering his relation with any of them. All he could clearly remember was that he was once Xehanort, an apprentice of Ansem the Wise. His Somebody mysteriously ended up in the ruler's world, Radiant Garden, yet he couldn't remember how. As a matter of fact, his somebody, Xehanort, wasn't able to clearly recall how arrived there either. Xemnas shut his eyes again, trying to reminisce. He saw an image of a tall brunette surrounded by an aura of darkness. The Superior realized that this person was Terra. The next image in the sequence was Terra again, but this time he had silver hair and tanner skin. Did the darkness change his appearance?

Among his scrambled memories, there was one figure that stood out the most. A beautiful blue-haired girl with a Keyblade. Her name was Aqua, and Xemnas felt that she was Terra's friend. Strangely, he somehow knew that Ventus, Aqua, and Terra were all friends. But how was he aware of this? Could Xehanort have actually been Terra? The two certainly had similar faces.

Upon hearing a corridor of darkness open, Xemnas immediately opened his eyes. Xigbar appeared on the chair next to him.

"Hey, Superior, how's it going?" Xigbar greeted. His tone was unusually cheery.

"It's fine Xigbar," Xemnas replied. "Might I ask what you're so giddy about?"

"Well, I just wondering how impressed you were with my new recruit," the Nobody said. Xemnas turned to the pirate-like man with an expressionless face.

"Yes, Marluxia seems to be a fine addition to our cause," Xemnas remarked.

"That's right! Marluxia!" Xigbar said to himself. The leader narrowed his eyes.

"You forgot his name?" he inquired. The older man put up his hands and began chuckling.

"Well, I didn't really forgot it," Xigbar said as he lied. "I just…couldn't think of it off the top of my head!" Xemnas ignored the lie, trying to think of a way to be alone.

"Aren't you on guard duty tonight?" Xemnas said as a reminder.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot," the marksman Nobody answered. He disappeared in a wisp of darkness. Xemnas closed his eyes again, enjoying his privacy.

* * *

The road seemed to infinitely extend. Aqua had been walking on the same path for hours, trying to find a way out of the Realm of Darkness. So far, all of her attempts had been in vain.

"Maybe it's useless," Aqua said to herself. "Maybe I can never escape this place." She gazed at the black sky above, starting to think about her friends. Ven was safe in the transformed Land of Departure. No one would be able to find him.

Terra, on the other hand, was a completely different story. In their battle, Aqua knew he was being possessed by someone. But she didn't know what became of him. Was he safe? Did he make it back to Radiant Garden? Did he keep control over his body?

Aqua took out her star shaped charm, which was similar to the ones that she made for Terra and Ventus.

"Terra, where are you?" she asked the sky as if it had the answers. "I wish I could find you." At that moment, a portal of bright light appeared. Blinded at first, Aqua partly opened her eyes. With all her courage and hope, she stepped into it.

* * *

Xigbar was lazily crouching as he watched over the entrance to the Organization's castle.

"Man, this is so boring," he muttered. Suddenly, a white portal appeared on the floor. Spinning around, Xigbar looked in shock to see Aqua emerge from it. She returned the glance, and the two soon had angry expressions.

"What are you doing here?!" Xigbar yelled. Aqua withdrew her master's black Keyblade

"Looking for my friend," Aqua told him. She could feel Terra's presence, so the last thing she would do is leave. Xigbar jumped onto a high ledge, firing a huge volley of shots at the girl. The Keyblade Master used a reflect spell, easily deflecting the hundreds of lasers. Xigbar narrowly dodged one of his deflected shots as it whizzed by his head.

"Hey, I already have one scar!" he yelled. Ignoring him, Aqua pointed her Keyblade at the sniper. She blasted dozens of colorful energy balls at Xigbar, which he tried to avoid. However, he failed to avoid most of them, and weakened as each one made contact. Finally, he fell to the ground, injured and unconscious.

A portal opened, and Aqua saw a man with silver hair and yellow eyes walk out.

"Xigbar, is everything al-" Xemnas began to say. He noticed the man's body on the ground next to him. The Nobody raised his head, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw Aqua. She looked at him with uncertainty, wondering who he was. She saw the face's resemblance to Terra's, and her friend's presence seemed to radiate from him. Could this person be Terra? Aqua slowly approached him. Upon reaching him, the man examined her figure.

"You're Aqua," Xemnas said. Aqua nodded her head.

"Terra, is that you?" she asked. The man looked at her with confusion.

"I…don't know," he replied. Aqua raised her eyebrows.

"You have amnesia?" she inquired.

"Yes," the Nobody answered. He motioned towards his portal of darkness. "Come with me." Although she feared the darkness, Aqua felt that she could trust the man. They entered it together.

* * *

Aqua and Xemnas sat at a small table in his private quarters. "I've been having trouble remembering who I used to be," Xemnas said. "I have scattered memories, including ones of you." Despite the doubt that she had earlier, Aqua was sure that this man was her oldest friend.

"I'm sure of it now," Aqua told him. "You are Terra! You were once a powerful Keyblade warrior and my friend!" The man softly rubbed his chin.

"So that's what the memories meant," Xemnas said to himself. He looked at her again. "Do you know how I ended up in Radiant Garden?"

"I found you there," Aqua started to explain. "You seemed to be possessed by someone else, so I fought you. Finally, you gained control, and sealed your heart. Unfortunately, however, you fell into darkness, so I sacrificed my armor and Keyblade to save you. However, I had to fall into that darkness instead" Xemnas didn't expect an answer like that.

"I've been trying to find you for quite a while," he said. "But I thought it was a hopeless endeavor." The girl held his hand.

"But I'm here now, Terra," Aqua said.

"I've abandoned that name," the Superior replied. The Keyblade Master looked at him in puzzlement. "My name's Xemnas now." The girl shook her head.

"It doesn't matter," she said. "To me, you'll only be Terra." Xemnas stood up and pulled out a bed from under the sofa.

"I'd prefer it if you sleep in this room tonight," he said. "If the other members saw you, they might attack you." Aqua smirked.

"Well, I didn't have any trouble with that other guy," she bragged. He chuckled.

"I'm sure you didn't," the Nobody said. Xigbar was powerful, but Aqua was a Keyblade Master, more powerful than even a Nobody from the Organization. She might even be able to defeat Xemnas.

Aqua entered the bathroom to change into her nightgown. He took off his black cloak, revealing his undershirt and shorts. Aqua soon emerged from the bathroom, and the two admired each other. Aqua noticed that her old friend had become even more muscular. Meanwhile, Xemnas was staring at her incredible body, especially the upper body's features. Snapping out of it, he smiled at her.

"Sleep well, Aqua," he said. She stopped gazing and smiled warmly in return.

"Good night, Terra," she happily replied. She turned out the light and lay down in her bed. For the first time in years, the two slept peacefully.

* * *

_Well, I'm mainly TerraxAqua fan, but I wanted to try an Aqua and Xemnas pairing. It's very interesting to portray Xemnas because we're not sure what his deal really is. Anyway, please review this story and let me know what you think!_


	2. Chapter 2: Organization 11

**Falling for a Nobody**

**Chapter 2: Organization 11**

**Disclaimer: All rights to the Kingdom Hearts Franchise belong to Square Enix and Disney**

The room seemed so empty. Aqua was surrounded by dull, white thrones which blended in with the blank walls. On each throne sat a man shrouded in a black cloak, save their hoods which hung beneath their heads. She noticed that Terra-no, that wasn't what he called himself anymore. His name was Xemnas now, right? Xemnas was observing her. As her eyes met with his, he smiled. She returned the expression, hiding her confusion. The Keyblade Master had no comprehension of who these people were or what they hoped to accomplish.

"My fellow members, today marks a historic event," Xemnas announced. "The woman joining us today will be a great aid to our cause. For she is a true master of the Keyblade."

That comment captured Aqua's attention. The girl had forgotten that she was officially a Keyblade Master. To her, it felt no different than being a mere apprentice. Aqua turned her head, noticing a pink-haired member. The man was staring at her as if he were deep in thought. Ignoring the gaze, she focused her attention on Xemnas.

"Her name is Aqua, and you will treat her with complete respect," Xemnas commanded. "After all, in a way, she outranks any of you."

Several of the men seethed in anger. The Nobodies of Ansem's original apprentices had always been considered the "upper class" of the organization. Yet now they had been surpassed by a newcomer. Vexen glared at Xemnas.

"Superior, you can't be serious!" he yelled. Xemnas returned the angered expression.

"I'm speaking with complete honesty, Vexen," he answered. "She's the only method we have to achieve our goal."

"And what goal might that be?" the female asked. Xemnas turned to Aqua, realizing he'd have to explain.

"Aqua, there's something unnatural about us," he told her. "We were once complete humans. However, we gave into darkness, and lost our hearts. Thus, we have no true emotions or feelings."

Aqua held her chest. She couldn't imagine existing in such a way. What was it like to have no heart? Could one feel friendship? Compassion? Love?

"The only way to become whole is to assemble an artificial Kingdom Hearts, by using the Keyblade to release stolen hearts." Stolen hearts? Who, or what, would steal people's hearts? What would be the purpose? She terminated her endless list of questions and glanced at her old friend.

"What will you do once you become whole?" she asked. He sadly extended his hands.

"All we want is to return to our normal lives. It's such a sorrow to be incomplete."

"Stop feigning sadness." The counter caught Xemnas off guard

"You already said that you don't have emotions anymore, so obviously this is a ruse." The other Organization members stared in shock. Nobody had expected her to see through Xemnas's act. The silver-haired warrior chuckled loudly. Aqua, on the other hand, was simply ignoring the laugh to focus on a bigger issue. Why would Terra try to fool her?

"Aqua, you're as observant as ever." His face grew serious once more.

"Despite the exaggeration, however, I wasn't lying about anything. We genuinely want to be complete people."

"And you need me to do that." He sternly nodded. Considering all factors, Aqua could probably do this. Ventus was safe in Castle Oblivion, and hopefully the worlds were doing well enough.

"I'll do whatever I can to help," Aqua said. With a grin, Xemnas spread out his arms.

"Aqua, congratulations on being our newest member," he said. She shook her head.

"No." The Nobody narrowed his eyes. He hadn't expected that type of response.

"I'll help you, but I won't fully join your group," she declared. "First, I have to spend time seeing how this group operates." That was only part of her reasoning. To Aqua, something about these people felt ominous. She looked at Xigbar, wondering why Terra would work with the likes of him.

"Very well," Xemnas agreed. "In that case, I welcome you as an associate of Organization 11."

* * *

Every room in the castle was bright. Yet they strangely emitted some sort of vanity. Aqua had probably only thought of this because Xemnas had mentioned that they were incomplete. As she walked down a staircase, a voice called out to her.

"Nice place to crash, isn't it?" She turned, and practically hissed when she saw Xigbar behind her. Calming herself down, Aqua's anger faded away.

"It's enormous, but a little boring," the female replied. He lightly held her shoulder. Resisting the urge to slash his arm off, Aqua made no reaction.

"Are you excited about your first mission tomorrow?" he asked.

"I'm not sure what to expect," Aqua replied. "Who's accompanying me?"

"One of our newer members, Axel." That made her curious. It seemed unwise and weird to have a relatively inexperienced member escort her.

"I wonder why we were together."

"Who would you have preferred?" Aqua looked up at him.

"Probably Xemnas, but I guess he's too busy being your boss." Braig began to walk away.

"He's not Terra." Aqua instantly turned around.

"What?" Xigbar stopped moving and faced her.

"Actually, he never really was," the man claimed.

"You're just trying to confuse me," Aqua said. "But that won't work!"

Xigbar merely chuckled.

"Believe what you want." Aqua stormed away, while Saix arrived from the other direction. Xigbar turned to his stoic ally.

"What do you think of our new member?" the free-shooter asked.

"As of now, all I can say is that she seems weak," Saix responded.

"Trust me, she's not weak," Xigbar claimed. "In fact, she's a huge threat."

"You're only saying that because she defeated you so easily yesterday," the other man said.

"I'm serious, Saix." The blue-haired man smirked.

"I don't think I've ever seen you serious before, Xigbar."

"And I've never seen you smile. Then again, I wouldn't smile either if I had that huge scar on my forehead." After that comment, Saix looked as though he were about to go berserk.

"Sorry, bad joke." Xigbar nervously apologized. His associate didn't go berserk, but he still looked angry.

"Do you even have evidence that shows this girl is a threat?" Xigbar stayed silent, while Saix strolled away. Determined to have concrete proof, Xigbar vanished in a dark portal.


	3. Chapter 3: Broken Memories

**Falling for a Nobody**

**Chapter 3: Broken Memories**

**Disclaimer: All rights to the Kingdom Hearts Franchise belong to Square Enix and Disney**

Generally, castles were thought to be beautiful and glamorous, with portraits and paintings decorating various halls. Such is the image of a castle seen in fairytales and other works of fiction. Organization XIII's castle, however, didn't follow this stereotype. To Aqua, the fortress was the epitome of boring, with its blank walls and dominantly white texture. The girl couldn't believe that Terra lived in such a dull environment.

The question rose again: was Xemnas truly Terra? His face was similar, but what else was there? The personality was completely different. Not only that, but Xemnas barely even looked like Terra. This "Nobody" had silver hair, dark skin, amber eyes, and long hair. Between the features and personality, Aqua wondered if he ever WAS Terra. Then again, perhaps she was being too judgmental. She had only known Xemnas for a day. And she wasn't even with him on today's mission. She was accompanying another member…Axel was it? That also stuck out to Aqua: why did all these people have X's in their names? Was there a deeper meaning to it?

A fast melody brought Aqua back to reality. To her left, the Keyblade Master noticed a man strumming his guitar. Demyx turned, realizing she was looking at him.

"Sorry, didn't mean to disturb you," he said.

Not expecting an apology, Aqua smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm Aqua, by the way."

"I know, and I'm Demyx," the man replied with his hand extended.

The two shook hands, yet Aqua's smile faded. He too had an X in his name. "Why do you all have X's in your names?"

The Nobody shrugged. "I'm not really sure. The Superior just wants it that way I suppose."

"Xemnas names you guys?" Aqua asked in surprise.

"It's against the rules to refer to our leader by name," a voice called out. Aqua spun around to see a redhead with spiky hair.

With a smile, the man's serious tone evaporated. "But I don't care about the rules anyway. Name's Axel. A-X-E-L."

"Well, Axel, where are we going today?" asked Aqua.

By merely flicking his fingers, the Nobody opened a portal shrouded in darkness. "Follow me and you'll find out."

He disappeared, leaving the girl to decide. Aqua waved goodbye to Demyx, and dashed into the portal. Once she left, Xigbar arrived on the scene. Fearing he was too late, he angrily turned to Demyx.

"Where was Aqua headed?" he yelled.

"I'm not sure," the blonde replied. "She and Axel didn't say what world they were visiting."

If it was one of the other members, Demyx would have asked why they cared. However, Xigbar was one of the highest ranking Nobodies, next to only Saix or Xemnas himself.

"Darn it," Xigbar muttered. Realizing he'd have to put off his investigation, the sniper vanished in darkness.

* * *

These days, Xemnas didn't feel like a leader. A leader should know and understand what's going on without any confusion. Yet now more than ever, Xemnas was perplexed. He didn't understand who he used to be. Was Aqua right? Did he really use to be Terra? How could she know? He barely resembled that Keyblade warrior.

But the previous night had been strange for Xemnas. Despite that he's not supposed to have feelings, Xemnas had felt an attraction to Aqua's body. Perhaps it occurred because Terra used to think Aqua was incredible hot. From Terra's scattered memories, Xemnas knew that the hero was in love with Aqua. So if he was acting as a conductor for Terra's feelings, was he really Terra?

Xemnas looked in front of his throne at a blue suit of armor, adjacent to a blue Keyblade. The two objects were surrounded by glowing chains on both sides of the floor.

He sighed, tired of thinking so much. "Sometimes, all I need is to sleep and remember."

The Nobody drifted off into sleep. Thanks to the strange room, his dreams would take the form of his hidden memories. The memories weren't always clear. More often than not, parts would be covered in static or something would wake him up. But even at that, the room was a great asset for Xemnas. Trying to discover more of his past, he fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

_The sky was covered with depressing clouds. Below the darkness stood a tall plateau with three figures on it. In a flash of light, the armor of one figure disappeared, revealing blue eyes, brown hair, and a muscular body. Terra opened his eyes to see two dark figures. One was a bald old man with a black and white outfit. Next to him was a masked boy wearing a bodysuit._

"_I knew you'd make it this far," the elderly man said. "Crossing the walls of light and darkness to my side."_

_The aged man spread out his arms. "I'm tire of waiting for you, Terra!"_

_Slightly taken aback, Terra squinted his eyes. "I have a friend."_

_The old figure creepily smiled. Meanwhile, the brunette held out his arm while light swirled around it. "Answer me, Xehanort."_

_A Keyblade with bronze and blue colors appeared in his hands. "What have you done with his heart!"_

"_I merely extracted the darkness from him," Xehanort replied casually. "Unfortunately, it seems like Ventus couldn't handle it."_

_Terra angrily grinded his teeth. "Xehanort!"_

_He charged at the old man, only to be faced with Vanitas instead. Terra slashed through the boy, yet nothing happened. Hearing something behind him, Terra turned from the illusion just as Vanitas attempted to stab him with his gear-like Keyblade. The two engaged in deadlock, yet Terra overpowered the boy, knocking him to the ground. About to finish him off, Terra was struck by a whirlwind of Keyblades. Master Xehanort guided the Keyblades towards the boy again, but Terra charged at him, forcing him to put up his guard. The two locked blades, yet neither gained an advantage. _

_Xehanort turned to his apprentice. "Drain Ventus of his power and kill Aqua."_

_The boy nodded, and dashed away. Vanitas dived off the cliff, but once Terra arrived at the edge, Master Xehanort appeared, blocking his path. The brunette jumped back._

"_You can't save Ventus or Aqua!" he told Terra. "Fear for your own safety…and turn that fear into power!"_

_Terra clutched his fist. "I'll never forgive you Xehanort!"_

_A purple aura surrounded him. "To think, that you'd not only go after my master…no, my father…but even my two best friends!"_

_The anger invigorated Xehanort. "Yes, yes! More, more! Stain your angry heart with darkness!"_

_Throughout his life, Terra had been taught that darkness was evil. He had been raised to believe that somehow, the light would find a way. But right now, the light simply wasn't enough. If he relied only on light, he'd be destroying any chance of survival for himself and his friends._

_Screaming, an explosion of darkness erupted from Terra, its energy surprising even Xehanort. Terra charged at Xehanort, furiously slashing his Keyblade as his opponent barely kept his guard up. A hand of darkness emerged from Terra, knocking away Xehanort. The boy pointed his Keyblade at Xehanort, blasting dark spheres at him. Xehanort easily deflected them, and summoned his whirlwind of Keyblades again. Terra's Keyblade transformed into a massive cannon, and aiming the cannon at the discarded weapons, Terra blasted them into oblivion with a huge energy ball._

_Xehanort stared in shock at the power. "You…how could you hold such power?"_

_Terra grinded his teeth. "Fool! You thought that was power? I will show you the definition of darkness!"_

_As a black glow surrounded Terra, the youth summoned huge meteors, throwing them at Xehanort. The old man evaded them one at a time, yet as the last one missed him, he saw Terra rise into the air. The boy continued to slam into the ground in bursts of darkness, quickly tiring out Xehanort. Soon, he stopped the onslaught, and landed on the ground. Xehanort angrily stared at him. He didn't expect Terra to be so strong._

"_I trusted you, Xehanort," Terra stated. "I thought you were trying to save the worlds, but in the end, you only wanted to destroy them."_

"_Young imbecile, you understand nothing," Xehanort mocked. "Although you wouldn't believe me, I AM trying to save the worlds in my own way."_

"_Liar!" Terra yelled._

_The boy threw his Keyblade at Xehanort. He barely sidestepped it, yet like a boomerang, it came back, striking Xehanort's legs. The old man collapsed, stabbing his Keyblade into the ground to hold himself up. As he panted out of exhaustion, Terra slowly approached him with rage._

_Static consumed everything._

_At night, a silver-haired man stood in the center of Radiant Garden. His face is the same as Terra's, yet the eyes are yellow and the skin is darker. Suddenly, Aqua ran up to him._

"_Terra!" she said._

_He looked at the girl, slowly reaching for her neck. Making contact, he began to choke her, lifting Aqua into the air._

"_Who…am I?" he asked._

"_This…is the power of darkness. No, you are Terra!" Aqua said in denial._

_The man made no facial reaction. "Terra you say?"_

_Suddenly, pain overcame him, as he began to hold his head._

_Once again, bursts of static flooded everything._

_The strange man was lying on the ground in the same place, this time while the sun was out. Three people approached him. One of them, Braig, turned to his mentor, Ansem the Wise._

"_This way," he said. They went over to the mysterious man. _

_Ansem held the injured stranger in his arms. "Hey are you alright?"_

_The silver-haired being began to wake up. Ansem continued holding him. "Who are you? Can you talk?"_

"_Xehanort," the man struggled to say. Braig smiled while Ansem memorized the name._

"_Xehanort," Ansem repeated.

* * *

_

Xemnas woke up, already knowing the rest of the story. Eventually Xehanort and the other apprentices would submit to darkness, but unlike Terra, they would turn into Heartless and more importantly Nobodies. Yet those memories Xemnas just experienced were some of the most important to him. He still didn't understand what became of Terra and Master Xehanort or how this new Xehanort was formed.

According to Aqua, he, in the form of this new Xehanort, had fought her at Radiant Garden. Yet why couldn't he remember it? Why were his memories sealed away? Just who was Xehanort really? Was he Terra? In some form, he surely was. The body was completely the same. But how did he lose his memory? And why was Xemnas regaining it?

He once wondered if "Xehanort" had been used as a cover name. The word had interesting anagrams if the "X" was removed, such as "no heart", "another", and "a throne", but that was before he began having memories about this "Master Xehanort" from Terra's life. Thus, his name came from him.

Still uncertain about his past, Xemnas merely stayed in his throne, reminiscing his less confusing memories.


	4. Chapter 4: Flames and Ice

**Falling for a Nobody**

**Chapter 4: Flames and Ice**

**Disclaimer: All rights to the Kingdom Hearts Franchise belong to Square Enix and Disney**

The girl happily took in her new surroundings. Aqua had never seen such a peaceful world. The red sunset peeked over the horizon, while faintly purple clouds dotted the skies above. The people calmly walked throughout the streets, appearing to have no worries or concerns.

Axel stretched out his hand. "Welcome to Twilight Town!"

"This place looks wonderful," Aqua remarked.

The Nobody looked around the area. "Don't be fooled though. This place has been crawling with Heartless lately."

As a huge coincidence, ten Neoshadows jumped from the ground once he said that.

"Of course," Axel muttered. "These things can be dangerous too, so watch out.

Aqua assumed that these things were the _Heartless _he was referring to. Come to think of it, they looked A LOT like Vanitas's Unversed, only they were black and had yellow eyes. And from the screams of the townspeople, she could tell they weren't friendly. As Axel drew his chakrams, Aqua aimed her Keyblade toward the sky.

"Thunder!" she yelled.

Bright bolts of lightning struck the Heartless, easily destroying them. As they faded in wisps of darkness, the girl noticed ten pink hearts float into the sky. Staring at her, Axel was genuinely surprised. He would have been able to handle them too, but Aqua did it so quickly. In fact, that attack didn't seem to exhaust her at all. Only a powerful master of magic could pull off an attack like that without dropping a sweat. Maybe that was her specialty. Though, the Nobody was now even more interested to see how well she handled the creature with her Keyblade.

"Not bad," Axel admitted.

The girl smiled. "If that's how dangerous these Heartless are, they won't be much of a problem."

Axel chuckled. "You're skill with magic is incredible. But there are much stronger Heartless than those things."

She looked up to see the pink hearts vanish. "Where did those go?"

"Those hearts went to my world," Axel explained. "They join together near our castle. Eventually, when we've gathered enough hearts, they'll form Kingdom Hearts."

Just as Xemnas said. Yet she narrowed her eyes, wondering if there was more to it. "And then what?"

Axel shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure. As far as I know, that's when we use Kingdom Hearts to become whole again."

"These hearts I've freed…they're stolen, right?" she asked.

The redhead nodded. "For the most part, yes."

"Well, how do we return those hearts to the people they belong to?" Aqua inquired skeptically.

Uncertain, Axel stared at the ground for a moment. He focused on her again. "I'm not sure to be honest. In fact, these hearts might not be returned at all."

Aqua was appalled. "You mean you people want to use these hearts and don't care about giving them back?"

He shook his head. "No! I'm not that selfish! I want to give the hearts back, but I don't know if we could. And even if it were possible, I'm not sure how to do it."

The girl felt embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to imply anything about you, Axel."

The Nobody chuckled. "It's strange. For a moment there, I actually felt angry. That breaks the rules of being a Nobody."

Aqua smirked. "I thought you didn't care about the rules."

The Flurry of Dancing Flames smiled. "Looks like you got that memorized."

Suddenly, the pair felt the ground shake. Hearing a roar, they looked east to see two Behemoths approaching them. One of them was purple, while the other had a dark and bright shade of blue. The townspeople were screaming, running to the other side of the city in hopes of finding a safe haven.

Axel grimaced. "Those are the beasts I was talking about. They're incredibly ruthless Heartless."

The girl smiled. "How about we each take one?"

The Nobody aimed his chakrams. "Sounds good to me."

The two dashed towards the vicious creatures. Aqua's purple target began charging at her. Lifting the weapon, Aqua's Keyblade ignited with flames, and she slammed it against the monster's foot. Angry, the Behemoth roared again, and tried to stomp her. She dodged its body part, but didn't notice the shockwave it created. The girl was knocked on her back. Now sore, she stood up, running to its other leg. Her weapon still flaming, she bashed the foot hard with her master's old Keyblade. Strangely, that didn't seem to hurt it either, and the beast aimed its hoof for her. She jumped out of the way, evading the shockwave. Hoping she'd find a way to hurt it, Aqua aimed her weapon's hilt at its chest.

"Take this!" she exclaimed.

A barrage of fireballs crashed into its belly, yet nothing happened. Realizing fire magic was useless, Aqua blasted a powerful wave of electricity at its body. Though it still made no reaction. Frustrated, Aqua froze its legs in place with ice. The creature easily broke its way out of the ice, and jumped high into the air. It raised its legs, preparing to land on Aqua with its belly. As it dropped, Aqua summoned a reflect shield, although it began to crack when the Behemoth landed on her. Exhausted, Aqua ran out from underneath it. For some odd reason, it wasn't charging at her. It was raising its head, like it was going to roar.

Instead though, huge beams of darkness shot down from the sky, one of them directly hitting Aqua. Injured, Aqua cast Curaga on herself, and stood back up to continue the battle. The monster glared at her, its beady yellow eyes seething with hunger…a hunger that would only be satisfied with her heart.

The girl aimed her Keyblade at the beast, firing three sets of colorful orbs at it. Just like her other efforts, those didn't seem to damage it either. Aqua was growing impatient. There wasn't a scratch on this thing! And yet it had nearly killed her with its last attack. There had to be some sort of secret to destroying it. The Keyblade warrior recalled her master's old teaching: _it's hard to hit what you can't see._

That gave her an idea. As the Behemoth slowly approached her, she aimed the Keyblade at its face. Thrusting it forward, she blasted two huge fireballs at its eyes. They made perfect contact, creating a huge puff of smoke. The girl smiled, confident that it was blind. But when the smoke faded, she was shocked to see that its yellow orbs had no signs of damage. The creature raised its head into the air again, blasting more bright pillars down toward the girl. Aqua summoned her reflect shield, struggling to keep it intact. She glanced to her left, wondering how Axel was doing.

The redhead Nobody ran up the blue monster's back. On top of his head, Axel began to chop away at its horn, making the beast writhe in pain. Finally, it collapsed to the ground, fading into darkness.

Now knowing that the horn was its weak-spot, Aqua sprinted towards her foe. As it tried to slam its feet against her, the girl easily dodged and made her way to its rear. Rushing up its spine, she jumped next to the horn. As she began slashing its horn, it roared in pain. Finally, it fell to the ground, fading in a pool of darkness. At the last moment, a large heart ascended from its remains and disappeared in the sky.

Walking over towards her, Axel nervously scratched his head. "Yeah, I forgot to mention that they're resistant to fire, ice, and thunder magic. And that you can only really hurt them when you attack their horn."

Aqua chuckled. "That would have helped me."

"But obviously you don't need help," Axel said. "After all, you are a Keyblade Master. The way you handled that beast proves it."

The girl smiled at the compliment. "Thanks, Axel."

"No problem," he replied. "Follow me."

The female followed the Nobody. She wondered what they were doing now though. "So what are we doing now? Searching for more Heartless?"

He shook his head. "No, that big Behemoth you fought had a huge heart. That's enough for today."

She didn't realize how quick the assignment would be. "Wow! That was fast. Are we going to leave?"

"Not yet," Axel informed her. "I want to show you something first."

* * *

From the clock tower, the sunset was breathtaking. Aqua was learning this for the first time, as she sat near the top with Axel beside her.

"What an amazing world," Aqua commented.

Axel was smiling. "I love coming here after a mission. It helps get me relax and think about things."

Suddenly, Aqua saw a frozen treat in front of her. She turned to see Axel offering the ice cream to her. The girl happily took it. "Thank you!"

The redhead took out one for himself. Aqua began to lick hers, surprised at first by the taste.

"What flavor is this?" Aqua inquired.

"Sea-salt," Axel responded. "It's one of the only flavors this town sells."

The Keyblade Master nodded. "It sure does have a strange taste."

He softly laughed. "You'll get used to it over time."

Keeping that in mind, Aqua continued to lick the dessert. Suddenly she narrowed her eyes. "Axel, it seems like you've been enjoying yourself today."

The man nodded. "I have."

"But how can that be?" she asked. "You're a Nobody. You can't feel emotion."

Axel frowned. "I know. But even though I can't explain why…it's like I'm genuinely feeling emotions."

"That doesn't make sense," Aqua said. "Unless Xemnas was wrong."

He shook his head. "I used to think he was right. I'd never felt a true emotion until today."

The girl shrugged. "Maybe you feel different when you make a friend."

"Is that what we are?" he asked.

Pondering at first, she confidently turned to him. "Yeah, definitely!"

Axel smirked. "How about that…my first real friend."

She raised her eyebrows sadly. "None of you guys in this organization are friends?"

He shook his head. "Not with me. Some of them are close, like Xigbar and Xemnas…but none of us are truly FRIENDS I'd say."

"I don't know why people wouldn't want to be friends with you," Aqua remarked. "You're a good guy, Axel."

The Nobody narrowed his eyes at the ice cream. "Did they drug your ice cream or something? You're not making sense right now."

Failing not to laugh, Aqua shook her head. "No, I mean it!"

"Well, you're a wonderful girl, Aqua," he told her.

Still smiling, the two gazed at the perpetual sunset.

* * *

Axel gladly strolled the halls of the castle. The day he spent with Aqua had made him feel happier than ever before in his false existence.

"Flaming Red!" a man called out.

At the sound of that voice, Axel's mood plummeted. He turned his head, not surprised at all to see Xigbar.

"Hey," he replied.

He was disappointed to see the sniper keeping pace with him. Apparently he wanted something after all.

"So how was the mission?" Xigbar inquired.

"It went well," Axel answered.

Xigbar kept smiling. "That's great! And how did our newest associate do?"

The fiery assassin tried not to look annoyed. "She was great! Took down a Behemoth by herself. And she didn't even know its weakness at first."

"Yep, that sounds like Aqua!" Xigbar said. "Always was a powerful girl."

Axel raised an eyebrow. "You knew her as a Somebody?"

"Yeah, we fought once," Xigbar replied. "And yes, I lost that battle too."

The redhead faked a light chuckle. "Her power certainly is amazing."

"It is," Xigbar said. "In fact, I bet she could defeat Xemnas if she wanted to."

Axel grew suspicious. "Yeah, possibly."

"Possibly?" Xigbar yelled. "Please, she's a Keyblade Master! She could take on any of us! But if a few of us worked together...she might be outmatched."

The redhead narrowed his eyes, stopping in place. "What are you getting at, Xigbar?"

"Straight to the point, eh?" he rhetorically asked. "I'm saying that the girl is a huge threat. And she has to be taken care of."

The Flurry of Dancing Flames glared at him. "Are you suggesting we destroy her?"

"Bingo!" Xigbar exclaimed.

"You're an idiot," Axel remarked. "For one thing, the girl is incredibly nice, and would NEVER try to hurt us without good reason. And besides that, she's the only method we have for achieveing Kingdom Hearts."

Axel pointed to a small, heart-shaped moon in the sky. "See that? That's composed of the hearts her Keyblade won today. It's our first step toward achieveing our goal."

"We can find another Keyblade wielder!" Xigbar claimed.

His associate eyed him strangely. "Really? And who do you have in mind?"

Unable to think of a single name, Braig stayed silent. Xemnas used to be a Keyblade wielder, but he didn't feel Axel needed to know that. Plus, the pyro maniac brought up a good point. As far as they knew, there weren't any other Keyblade wielders left.

"I'm telling you, she's trouble!" he screamed.

"You're fibbing!" the redhead retorted. "You're just afraid of her because she kicked your butt. Well guess what? She's on OUR side now! She isn't gonna hurt us. And if nothing else, she won't hurt ME!"

Surprised at first by the statement, Xigbar slyly smiled. "Sounds like you two did some bonding today. Xemmy might get jealous."

Axel walked off, while Xigbar kept smirking. "Good night, pyro!"

"Good night, pirate!" he replied.

"Oh, good one!" Xigbar sarcastically yelled. "I haven't heard that one yet!"

Realizing Axel was just going to ignore him, the sniper vanished in darkness.

* * *

Tired, Aqua slowly walked towards her and Xemnas's room. As she turned the corner, she saw the silver-haired Nobody waiting by the door.

"How was the mission?" he asked.

"It went well," the woman replied.

The man smirked a bit. "Get any good hearts?"

"Yep," she answered. "I destroyed this Behemoth, and it let out a giant heart."

"So you're helping me after all," Xemnas remarked.

"Well, that's not what I was aiming to do," Aqua said. "I was just trying to protect the town's citizens. Helping you was a bonus."

"That being said, you still deserve a reward," he told her.

Aqua widened her eyes to see the man lean towards her face, his lips practically touching hers. Just in time, Aqua pushed him back.

"What are you doing?" she asked angrily.

He raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Trying to kiss you."

The girl's expression stayed angry. "Well don't!"

"I can hardly help myself," Xemnas claimed. "You truly are beautiful."

Although flattered, the Keyblade Master sighed and rubbed her eyebrows. She looked up to face the man again. "Listen, Xemnas, I know I said you were Terra. But I'm starting to wonder if you really are. Your personality is COMPLETELY different from his. Terra wasn't so stoic and dramatic. Plus, he wouldn't try to deceive me like you did earlier."

Xemnas gritted his teeth. "How could I not be Terra? I look like him AND I have his memories."

Tapping her chin, Aqua eyes moved up and down as they examined his face. "You know, you don't even look that much like him. The face is similar, but everything else is different."

"Then who AM I?" Xemnas asked.

The girl shrugged. "I honestly don't know. You might be Terra, you might not be. Right now, I'm not sure which you are."

"Well how do we find out?" Xemnas asked.

"I don't know!" Aqua replied. "What I do know is that I've had a long day and just want to get some sleep."

Walking past Xemnas, Aqua entered their chambers. The Superior was shocked at what he was hearing. Just the other day she was CONVINCED he was Terra. Now she was doubting it? He was completely angry at her.

Anger. For some strange reason, the Nobody was feeling genuine anger. But how could that be? A Nobody can't feel anything. What could give him access to this emotion? He didn't have his own heart. But…could it be HERS that was causing this?

Still confused about that concept, Xemnas had only one thing on his mind: to prove he was Terra. And as far as looks went, he knew EXACTLY how to do it.


	5. Chapter 5: Makeover

**Falling for a Nobody**

**Chapter 5: Makeover**

**Disclaimer: All rights to the Kingdom Hearts Franchise belong to Square Enix and Disney**

At night, most of the Organization members either took time to relax or work. Zexion, tired from the mission he completed earlier, simply wanted to sleep. Yet as he lied facedown on the bed, the sound of a dark corridor opening told him otherwise.

He refused to even look up. "Please go away. Unless you want me to force you out with a spell."

"I'll take my chances," a deep voice replied.

Recognizing the voice, the cloaked schemer whipped his head around, his eyes widened with fear.

"S-Superior!" he stuttered. "Forgive me, I didn't know it was you."

Yet strangely enough, Xemnas was smiling. "Forget about it. I have a new task for you, Zexion. Fulfill it and you won't have to complete missions for a week."

"I'm interested," he replied. "What do you need?"

"How diverse are your spells?" Xemnas asked.

His eyebrow quirked. "What do you mean, Superior?"

The Nobody would have to be more specific. "Can you alter someone's appearance?"

"Of course," the dark-haired man responded.

Xemnas's expression didn't change. "Even permanently?"

Zexion rubbed his chin. "Well, I've never done a permanent transformation before, but it's possible."

"Very good," the silver-haired being said. "I want you to do it now."

"Now?" Zexion asked.

The Superior's smile faded into a frown. "That won't be a problem, will it?"

Zexion smirked. "For a week of no missions? Of course not."

As he took out his spell book, he couldn't help but wonder WHY his boss wanted this done.

"Is there some reason you're doing this, sir?" he asked.

"Appearances can be persuasive," he answered. "And there's someone whose mind should be changed."

"Could it be Aqua by any chance?" the younger Nobody asked.

Xemnas chuckled, a laugh that somehow seemed to have a fragment of emotion. "Good guess. I just want to prove something to her."

"Well, I'm sure you know what you're doing," the man stated.

Smiling, Zexion opened his Lexicon. "Now, what do you want altered first?"

* * *

Drowsy but rejuvenated, Aqua sat up in bed, letting out a short yawn. She turned to the mirror, and nearly grimaced at how messy her hair had gotten over night. A quick shower would fix that. Within seconds, the Keybearer was in the bathroom with the water rushing against her back. The fluid washed away her musk, but not the girl's guilt. She had been a bit harsh towards Xemnas the previous night. How could she suddenly question he was Terra after she affirmed that was his identity just two nights ago? For a Keyblade Master, she had made up her mind far too quickly.

That would be her priority: discover if Xemnas truly was Terra. And if he was, the girl would feel happier than she had in years. Though she couldn't assume anything. To accurately judge him, she'd need to spend more time with him.

Fully cleansed, Aqua turned the nozzle and stepped out of the shower, immediately drying herself. Wearing one of her outfit's many duplicates, the cerulean warrior was about to leave the room. She stopped, feeling that something was out of place. Glancing at Xemnas's bed again, she realized that he wasn't in it. And she didn't remember him returning to their room last night. Did he just sleep less than her? That had to be it. There wasn't any other explanation. Sleep was something the body needed, not the heart. Even Nobodies need rest therefore.

As she strolled down the hallway, she noticed a familiar redhead walking a few steps in front of her. Happy to see a friendly face, she quickly rushed towards him.

"Axel!" the girl exclaimed.

The Nobody glanced at the girl now next to him, smiling at her. "Morning, Aqua. Sleep well?"

She nodded. "Oh yeah. First time I've slept well in a while."

Axel raised an eyebrow. "Really? Why's that?"

Her expression grew sad. "For a long time, I've been searching for my friend. But he was in the Realm of Light while I was trapped in the Realm of Darkness. I was searching for a way to escape, and found a portal that led me here."

"Then why didn't you leave yesterday?" he asked. "When we were at Twilight Town, you could have stayed behind."

"Because I've found him," Aqua replied.

"You're saying he's one of us?" the man asked.

She nodded. "I think he's Xemnas. But I'm not sure yet. His personality is so different, but the face is very similar. When I first saw him, I felt confident it was my old friend. But now…I'm doubtful."

The Flurry of Dancing Flames was surprised at her intentions. Originally he thought Xemnas had hired her by giving her a huge amount of money. Yet he never expected that she chose to help them simply because the Superior resembled her friend. How could Xemnas be her friend though? He didn't seem like a very friendly or good person? Though he has been helping them all gain hearts. Maybe the Superior was a wonderful person when he had a heart.

"I'm not sure what you should do actually," Axel said.

She wasn't surprised. Hearts guided people. But these poor beings didn't even have hearts. How could they be pointed in the right direction? Did they even have a conscience? And if they did, it wouldn't matter. Guilt was an emotion, something none of these Organization members could feel. But even if he couldn't offer advice, Axel could still tell her more about their leader.

"Axel, what do you know about Xemnas?" she asked.

"Not that much," he admitted. "All I know is that he and the other first six members of this Organization used to be apprentices together under a man named Ansem the Wise. They gave into darkness, and that's how they lost their hearts."

Darkness. She despised it more than anything else. And if she didn't risk falling into darkness from rage, she'd hate it even more. Every villain she had encountered used it. In fact, she had never fought a villain with the power of light.

"So that's it?" she asked.

"Well, I've also heard that Xemnas's complete being, Xehanort, was amnesiac when Ansem found him," he added. "All he remembered was his name."

Suddenly, she halted her footsteps. The very mention of that name sent chills down her spine. Xehanort. MASTER Xehanort. The man who destroyed her life, as well as Terra's and Ven's. If it wasn't for him, they might all be masters, living together.

"He remembered…the name Xehanort?" she inquired suspiciously.

"Yeah," Axel replied. "Why? Was that your friend's name?"

Sadly she shook her head. Strangely, Axel felt bad for her. How could he be feeling emotions? The same paradox had occurred in Twilight Town, yet he doubted it would happen again. He'd worry about these new feelings later though. Right now Axel was hungry, so breakfast was all he cared about.

"I'm starving," Axel said. "The walk's been nice, but how about I just bring us there ASAP?"

Snapping his fingers, a dark corridor appeared. Aqua always felt nervous about using these pathways. Darkness could easily seep into her body and overtake her. But when she used it with Xemnas for the first time, nothing had happened. Trusting her light, Aqua stepped into it with Axel.

* * *

As she expected, the dining hall was as blank and white as the rest of the castle. In the center was a long table with 13 seats. Axel and Aqua took a seat next to each other. All the other members were present so far, except for Xemnas.

"Where's Xemnas?" Aqua inquired.

Axel shrugged. "Who knows? He always shows up last. I heard he goes to a special room every morning. Sometimes he stays there over night."

Aqua raised an eyebrow. "A special room?"

"Don't ask me," he replied. "I have no clue where it is or why he goes there."

A wisp of darkness formed around Xemnas's seat, which was conveniently right next to Aqua's. The Superior had his hood up. "I see that the rest of you are already here. Good. There's something I want to show you."

Curious at first, Aqua's heart nearly stopped when he flipped off his hood. The once silver hair was now brown, his amber eyes had turned into blue orbs. And the skin was paler, not tan or completely white, but the same color as Terra's. In fact, everything had was the same color. He looked JUST like him now. Older, but still the same. He turned to her, gazing into her eyes and possibly even her soul.

While the blue-haired maiden looked with awe, Xigbar clenched his fist, making his glass crack. Demyx raised an eyebrow at him.

"Uh, you okay, Xiggy?" the blonde asked.

Realizing that someone else had noticed his anger, the freeshooter chuckled. "Who me? Of course!"

He hid his discomfort well, refusing to let the smile fade. But he felt very concerned now. If Xemnas suddenly started acting like Terra, or if he somehow BECAME Terra, things were gonna get bad. When the Nobody had spoken with Axel about Aqua, he seemed defensive, which didn't make sense. Why would a Nobody, one who has no emotions and can therefore not care for something, be defensive? Somehow, Aqua's heart was giving emotions to them. And even him. This anger wasn't just pretense. It was as real as he…or his Somebody, rather…was.

He had to act fast. Screw the evidence. Aqua needed to be taken out of the plan, before the plan could be ruined for good. If Xemnas became Terra, he'd realize how cruel it was for the organization to turn people into Heartless and steal others' hearts. He'd destroy them all, with Aqua backing him all the way. Then the plan would be ruined, and none of them would gain hearts, or more importantly, control of Kingdom Hearts.

Smiling at the surprised expressions, Xemnas looked around the room. "I'm sure many of you are wondering WHY I've changed my appearance. It's just a sudden whim really. I didn't like some of my features, so I had Zexion change them. Try to ignore this and continue with your usual routine."

The rest of the members, even Xigbar, returned their attention to the food. Aqua was staring in shock, when suddenly Xemnas held out a plate toward her.

"You should eat something," he said.

She nodded, grabbing a few pancakes from a tray. "I guess you're trying to persuade me, huh?"

He smirked. "Was it that easy to notice?"

The girl nodded, but she was smiling. "It was. But it also shows me that I should give you a chance. I'm sorry about what I said last night. I shouldn't have doubted you."

The man shook his head. "No, you had every reason to. I lied to you, and I never should have done that."

"Don't worry about it," she said. "I'm not gonna hold a grudge."

As she took a bite of the panckaes, a hot sensation surged through her mouth, making a squeaky sound in surprise to how hot it was. Quickly, she downed a few gulps of orange juice, cooling off her tongue.

Strangely, Xemnas laughed. "Oy, sometimes you are such a girl."

Glaring, yet smiling for some reason, Aqua turned to him. "Hey, what do you mean sometimes…Terra?"

"ENOUGH!" the sniper screamed.

The two whipped their heads to see Xigbar glaring at them. "I'm sick of you two making up and almost making out. And DON'T call him Terra. He's Xemnas! No one else!"

Xemnas narrowed his eyes. "Xigbar, that's who I used to be…before Ansem the Wise found me. Unless you're implying that you know something I don't and have been hiding it from me for all these years."

Realizing the trap he was in, the sniper sighed. "Forgive me, Superior. I was wrong to speak out. And no, I didn't know anything about who you were before our old mentor found you."

Xemnas nodded. "That's what I thought. Everyone, take the day off. Aqua got a big enough heart from that behemoth yesterday. We all deserve a good rest."

The Nobodies smiled at this, and despite having no emotions, were glad that they had a break finally.

Aqua turned to Xemnas. "What'll you be doing?"

The man smiled. "That depends. What are YOU gonna be doing?"

She giggled. "I don't know. Maybe look at more of the castle."

"Then I'd be happy to give you a full tour," he said. "Meet me in the Grey Room in an hour and we can get started."

Liking the thought of that, Aqua nodded and contently continued eating. Xigbar was smiling a bit too. He'd finally have a chance to spy on them, and see what Xemnas was trying to do. Maybe this was all a manipulative plot. He had to hope so. If Xemnas was falling head over heels, the Organization could fall next.


	6. Chapter 6: Bonding

**Falling for a Nobody**

**Chapter 6: Bonding**

**Disclaimer: All rights to the Kingdom Hearts Franchise belong to Square Enix and Disney**

_AN: After carefully watching the BBS secret ending, I realize that I can't make this story canonically fit into the series. But, from this point on, it's going to grow into a very interesting AU story, and I like the direction I intend to take it in a lot more. We're approaching a critical point in the story now, and after we reach it, things start getting interesting. _

The Superior knew his castle like the back of his hand, so much that simply being within it bored him. Yet this time, with Aqua literally at his side, he actually felt excited, happily anticipating the time they'd be sharing. She noticed that they were approaching a set of double doors.

"So, what room is this?" the bluenette inquired.

"The library," he replied. "There's a book you should see."

Swinging the doors opened, Xemnas slowly strolled towards a white book, its cover embellished with thirteen golden Nobody symbols. Aqua browsed through it, skimming short blurbs written by the Organization.

"You guys keep a diary?" she asked.

"Memory is a sacred right," he answered. "Yet we don't always remember the thoughts we have. So sometimes, it makes things easier to remember or analyze if they're written down."

He flipped to a page with one of Demyx's entries.

"Read it," Xemnas encouraged her.

She picked up the book. "Today Xemnas ordered me to go on a mission, but I said I was too busy tuning my sitar. So he blasted it to pieces so that nothing was preoccupying me. Now I need to find a new one!"

The girl laughed a bit, and turned to her friend.

"Man, Terra…you're such a girl for keeping a diary," she teased.

"Stealing my jokes?" he asked.

The two laughed, and Xemnas realized his laughter had totally changed. The tone was cheerful and genuine instead of dark and malicious. Pondering this, he stopped, causing Aqua to slowly cease as well.

She quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "What's wrong?"

He shook his head. "Nothing. It's just…I haven't laughed like that in ages."

"Well, that's good, right?" she inquired.

He looked at her in agreement. "I suppose so."

* * *

Aqua found herself surrounded by bright fields of flowers. She turned to Xemnas, noticing how the radiant hues made the darkly clothed figure stand out.

"This is our garden," Xemnas said. "Although my original intent was to grow food here, our newest member, Marluxia, has been obsessed with using this area to bloom flowers."

Aqua smiled at the sight. "I think it looks pretty."

He crossed his arms. "I value use over appearance, Aqua. Though…these flowers do serve a purpose."

The man picked up a violet. His gaze jumped from its blue leaves to Aqua's blue outfit, then to her blue hair, and finally her blue eyes. Those two bright orbs on her face could entrance him for an eternity. Aqua stared at his as well, realizing how much she loved Terra's eyes. They were darker than most, just like he was. Ultimately though, they were still vibrant shades of cerulean.

"This flower…reminded me of you," he said. "In fact, it's the real reason I allowed Marluxia to continue this hobby. The mere sight of this shade reminded me of you."

Aqua shrugged. "I guess I do have a lot of blue in my appearance. But it's good that I'm not being made fun of for it."

He stared in confusion. "What? I never did that."

"You wouldn't, but others have," she replied. "When I was a little girl, before Eraqus brought me in and before I had even hit double digits, I went to a school. And the kids there mocked me for my hair color, some going to the extent of even physically pulling it and hurting me."

As a cold tear slid down Aqua's face, Xemnas burned with rage, clenching his wrist in an attempt to subdue his anger.

"I never knew," he said. "Tell me where they are now, and I'll show them the consequences for such insolence."

Aqua shook her head. "I don't know where they live. But don't worry about it."

"No, I need to worry about it," he said. "They deserve justice."

She narrowed her eyebrows. "All you want is vengeance."

He shrugged. "What's wrong with that?"

"Because, Terra," she said. "Hatred and vengeance are awful emotions to have. They're what…"

She stopped herself. The girl couldn't bring herself to say it. Xemnas didn't know why she was hesitating, but his patience was wearing thin.

"Just say it," he told her.

Looking up, the girl approached him, softly feeling the brown mane on his head. "They're what made you end up this way."

He swallowed his pride. "That's probably true. Even though I recovered a huge portion of my memory, I still don't fully know what transformed me into the man you saw at Radiant Garden. Your armor didn't provide me with that explanation."

The girl was puzzled. "My armor?"

He nodded, opening a portal.

"Come this way," he said.

The girl eyed it nervously. "I'm not so sure."

Softly yet firmly, he held her hand. "Trust me. I won't let the darkness take you."

Having faith in Xemnas, she stepped inside.

* * *

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. For what seemed like endless years, the girl had been traversing through the Realm of Darkness with nothing but Eraqus's old Keyblade at her side. As she kneeled next to her suit and weapon, the bluenette noticed the black chains decorating the floor.

"What is this place?" she asked.

"The Chamber of Repose," he replied. "Over the past years, I've sat here and recalled pieces of my past. Your armor was a great help."

Years? Had it really been that long?

"Xemnas, I need to know," the girl told him. "How long has it been since the battle at the Keyblade Graveyard?"

"5 years," he grimly responded.

The girl almost felt her heart stop. Five years? How could that much time gone by? "But…I don't look older."

"The Realm of Darkness is affected differently by time," he replied. "A few years in the Realm of Light seems like mere days in that obscure place."

"I see," she said.

He wrapped his gloves around her shoulder, smiling. "Youth isn't something to be ashamed of."

"Yeah, but I could have spent all that time here, protecting the worlds and helping you," she countered.

"Don't be hard on yourself," he commanded. "The worlds haven't fallen to darkness, and you can still help me."

"But these Heartless…" she said.

"Were something I created while I was in my amnesiac state," he admitted.

The girl looked at him in shock. "So…did you create the ones in the Realm of Darkness too?"

"No…No!" he denied. "Those are naturally occurring creatures of darkness. I merely created artificial ones."

"You weren't yourself though," the girl retorted. "If I hadn't sacrificed my armor to save you…we wouldn't be in this situation."

Xemnas widened his eyes. He finally understood why he had the armor. But now wasn't the time to learn more about what she remembered. The poor girl was still uneasy. Trying to raise her spirits, the Nobody handed her the armor and Keyblade. And then Aqua noticed something. He was clutching the hilt of the weapon…he could still wield it!

"Take these," he kindly ordered. "They belong to you alone."

Gladly accepting the items, Aqua equipped them, and in a flash of light, morphed the armor into its smaller state.

The girl grinned. "Thank you, Xemnas."

"Don't' mention it," he said. "Let's go back to our room. You're about to see one of my most prized possessions."

The Superior opened a new pathway, and they entered side by side.

* * *

Inside their bedroom, Aqua watched her friend dig through a chest she had seen the other night. Random predictions of what the object would be flowed into her mind. Perhaps it was his old outfit. Or maybe it was the Keyblade he once wielded.

Xemnas straightened his back, his body facing away from the girl. And when he turned, she gazed in shock.

It looked just as she remembered it. Even after all those years, the orange tint was as bright as ever, and the shape itself hadn't been distorted at all. And even the necklace was still attached. Just like Terra, his wayfinder was still the same. Aqua took out her own charm, and held the blue object against its orange counterpart, both of them glimmering in the bright room.

Xemnas held up the charm, smiling at it. "This…is what began giving me my memories. And even though my emotions were as nonexistent as my very being, I couldn't give it up. It was like my mind had been guiding me in ways I couldn't even comprehend or notice."

Softly holding her with his muscular arms, Xemnas gazed into Aqua's blue orbs. "And now I understand. Although my heart was gone, I still had my soul…I still had my mind. And that mind has stayed the same since my youth."

"I don't understand," the girl said. "You don't have a heart, yet today you showed genuine emotions."

"It puzzled me as well," the silver-haired being agreed. "Yet after careful thought, I figured it out. The heart's function is to give emotion…not only to the person it resides in, but even other people. So when I'm with you…your emotions are shared with me. And with these newfound feelings, I've become the person I used to be. With you, I don't need a heart. And maybe…even just our minds are enough. We share such a strong connection that I don't think anything could break it."

Aqua finally understood. Xemnas absolutely was Terra. The years may have changed his appearance, yet his true self remained unbreakable. Her friend was finally back! She hugged him, and he softly returned it with his muscular arms.

Gazing into his eyes, Aqua caressed his cheeks. "Then let's share even more."

The two kissed, their lips passionately locked and their eyes peacefully shut. Unknown to them though, a flaring amber eye was watching from the other side of the doorknob's keyhole. He had been following them the entire day, stealthily hiding in the shadows. And he heard everything, including his leader admitting that he didn't need a heart. And if he didn't need a heart, he didn't need the organization. Xemnas would eventually leave and take Aqua with him, leaving the Nobodies on their own and without a Keyblade wielder. No…without TWO Keyblade wielders. Xigbar saw Xemnas hold her weapon in his special room.

The Nobody was sick of observing, especially with how intimate the pair was getting. He stood up and leaned against the wall, his mind as blank as the structure. Suddenly, the man's sinister gears began spinning, quickly developing a scheme that would solve his dilemma. And this time, Aqua wouldn't escape the sharpshooter's sights.


	7. Chapter 7: Birthday

**Falling for a Nobody**

**Chapter 7: Birthday**

**Disclaimer: All rights to the Kingdom Hearts Franchise belong to Square Enix and Disney**

_AN: This chapter is what I consider to be the beginning of the TRUE story I want to tell. And it looks like it's gonna be far bigger than I originally imagined._

The small artificial Kingdom Hearts shined into the Superior's bedroom, its light nearing yet never touching Xemnas. His navy blue eyes slowly opened, noticing that it was late into the next day. He glanced to his left, noticing that Aqua was still beside him in her nightgown. Simply being in the girl's presence comforted him. He lowered his head and glanced at the beauty laying beside him. Her hair was a tangled mess, reminding him of the countless times he saw her morning hairstyle when they were growing up together. He noticed that her hair was even more ruffled than his. Smiling, he freely felt it with his hand, and locked his gaze with hers as her cerulean orbs slowly fluttered open.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked.

The girl grinned. "Pretty well. I'm amazed at how soft this bed is."

He smirked. "Well I fiercely opposed those firm mattresses Master Eraqus forced us to sleep on."

"The worst was after our strength training," she stated.

He shook his head. "No, it was far more painful after magic lessons."

She narrowed her eyes. "Strength training!"

He met her gaze with his own. "Magic lessons!"

Stepping out of bed, Xemnas quickly threw on his his trademark coat over the black vest and leggings he already had on. After brushing his teeth in the bathroom, he stepped back into the bedroom to find Aqua staring at him from the comfort of her covers.

"Where are you headed?" Aqua asked.

"I feel like I've remembered something important," he answered. "But to fully recall it, I need to go my special room that your armor was stored in."

The girl nodded, and Xemnas began walking away.

"Terra," Aqua called out.

He turned back towards her, noticing the smile on her face.

"I'm glad I'm living here with you," she stated.

The man grinned. "Me too."

He narrowed his eyes, regretting that sentence. "Well, I'm not glad I'm living with ME, because that's impossible. I mean, you can't live with yourself. I meant-"

When Aqua began giggling, he stopped rambling.

"You're as clumsy with your words as ever," Aqua teased.

Glaring, he smirked as he flicked his hand, sending a pillow crashing against her head.

"Hey!" Aqua yelled.

She launched her own pillow at him, yet he dodged it by stepping out of the room. His happy mood soon grew serious. He needed to understand these emotions. He needed to finally know the truth. And today, Xemnas felt somehow that his life mystery was finally going to be solved.

* * *

_Blurry gray clouds slowly faded away to reveal a circular plateau. An old man was standing underneath a floating ball of light._

"_I swore I would survive," the elder said. "And see what awaited beyond the Keyblade War."_

_Smiling, he extended his arm toward the nervous young man standing across from him. "And it is your darkness that shall be the ark that sustains me!"_

_The ball of light flew towards the young man. He pressed the piece of armor on his shoulder, and his eyes widened with fear when he saw it was too late. In a flash of light, the man was suddenly covered in armor emitting a black aura. The old man smiled, and closed his eyes as his body faded into balls of light._

_The man threw off his armor. He was different now. His hair was silver, his skin tan, and his eyes an ominous hue of yellow. Smiling, the man opened his lips._

"_This heart belongs again to darkness," he said. "All worlds begin in darkness, and all so end. The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it…it grows…consumes it…such is its nature. In the end, all hearts return to the darkness whence they came."_

_Summoning a demonic gray Keyblade, the person began to walk away. Suddenly, a dome of orange chains surrounded the plateau._

_He looked up in puzzlement. "What?"_

_Then, feeling a familiar presence, he turned around to see the armor kneeling with a brown and blue Keyblade inserted into the dirt._

_The man glared at his opponent. "You're body submits, your heart succumbs…so why does your MIND resist?"_

_Silent, the armored figure stood up, and grabbed hold of the hilt. He lifted the weapon from the ground, ready to fight._

_The gray clouds covered Xemnas's mental vision once more. Slowly though, they began fading away. As they did, two glowing figures, the same two who had been atop the plateau, stood over an infinite abyss of darkness. One of them, a bald old man with menacing yellow eyes and deformed ears, opened his mouth to speak._

"_Darkness rules your heart," he said "It gives me control. Muscle and sinew that once obeyed you now rebels against you. How you can remain here at all confounds the mind."_

_The other person, a muscular young man with spiky brown hair, shook his head. "It's still my heart. You think you can just come in and take over?"_

_The young man, Terra, clenched his fist. "I'm not gonna sit by and let that happen."_

_The elder smirked. "Don't even entertain any notions of escaping me boy."_

_His spread out his arms. "In the end, your heart will be engulfed by mine forever."_

"_Wrong," Terra said._

_The ancient man, Master Xehanort, looked at him in confusion._

"_You're gonna get shown the door, old man," Terra declared._

_Xehanort crossed his arms behind his back. "As I recall you couldn't even handle your own darkness. How then will you triumph over mine?"_

_Terra smiled, calmly closing his eyes. "You'll see soon enough."_

_Puzzled by what he meant, Master Xehanort slowly began to sense a familiar presence with the boy. "Oh, so that's how it is, is it? Someone else has set foot in your heart. Eraqus, you sly fox."_

_The hero opened his eyes. "I'm not afraid of what the darkness holds now. Even if you do wrest control of my heart from me…even if you cast me into the deepest, darkest abyss…you'll never sway me from the one cause that pushes me to keep on fighting."_

_Terra confidently nodded a bit. "Whatever the cost, I'm ready to pay it."_

_Xehanort relaxed his arms, letting them swing to his side. "Brave words to be sure."_

_The old master spread out his arms. "But I'm a patient man. We can take as much time as we need to settle this little property dispute."_

_The Keyblade Master stopped moving his hands, focusing his attention on Terra. "However, know this. You are just one of many roads that I may choose to take."_

_Terra narrowed his gaze, yet the other wielder of darkness smiled._

"_Trust me…I've made sure of that," Xehanort assured him with a dark chuckle._

_Terra crossed his arms. "Well if you choose to leave this heart, it won't end there. I'll hunt you down. I'll make sure to put an end to your twisted scheme."_

_Xehanort raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Is that your one cause then? You're motivated simply by your hatred of me?"_

_The boy smiled. "You couldn't be more wrong."_

"_Well then I'm very curious to know," Xehanort said. "What ARE you fighting for?"_

_Terra reached into his pocket, pulling out an orange charm. Xehanort stared at it, pondering what this object was and what it represented._

"_Aqua and Ven," Terra said. "I need to see them again. I need to BE with them again."_

_He looked up at Xehanort, his deep blue orbs filled with determination. "And I don't care what happens to my heart. Even if I lose my emotions, my soul will remain. And within that element of my existence lies my mind, the very thing that defines how I think and what I think about. As long as I have that, it doesn't matter what you do to my body or heart. My mind will NEVER change."_

_Xehanort grunted. "This is true. But I think I could do without your soul."_

_Terra laughed. "Are you growing senile already? You'd die without my soul. It gives you life."_

"_It gives people life," Xehanort agreed._

_He deviously smiled. "But Heartless are another story."_

_Terra narrowed his eyebrows in puzzlement. "Heartless?"_

_The old man laughed, his hoarse voice blaring throughout the empty space. "I suppose you wouldn't know about them. Simply know that if I deem it necessary, I will force this body to remove our heart. That way, your mind will have no influence over me."_

_Terra gritted his teeth. "You're insane. After all this trouble, you're willing to toss aside this vessel?"_

"_That's exactly what I plan to do," Master Xehanort confirmed. "And don't forget…there ARE other candidates whose bodies would be suitable for me."_

"_Then let's assume your plan works," Terra says. "Let's say you separate our heart. How are you going to even gain control of this body? The person that we've formed has a separate identity from either of us."_

_Xehanort shook his head. "No. The person we reside in now is the combination of my emotions and your body and soul. Since your soul contains the mind though, this person is actually making decisions that YOU would in his situation. Except, when he listens for a voice of reason or guidance, he only hears mine."_

"_You're forgetting my trump card," Terra told him._

_Xehanort shook his head. "Are you referring to that empty suit of armor?"_

"_The one that defeated you, yes," Terra replied. "It retains most of my rage, and somehow a mind identical to my own. If you couldn't defeat this being when you were in complete control of my body, you never will."_

"_Never say never," Xehanort scolded. "I merely have to hone my skills. Besides, I was obviously still adjusting to your body, especially since I didn't use the Guardian in that fight."_

"_Well when you used that abomination against Aqua, you still lost," Terra countered._

_MX pointed toward him. "Don't pretend that you didn't intervene. If you hadn't stepped in, I would have had her on the ropes in minutes."_

"_You overestimate your power," the rock warrior said. "And in the end, your darkness will never defeat me. Eraqus's heart has merged with mine, and his light is far more resilient than you think."_

_Xehanort chuckled. "Well like every light, it will inevitably fade."

* * *

_

The illuminated Nobody symbols decorating the room slowly dimmed. Xemnas sat on his throne in shock. He had never even considered that his former self had the hearts of two people. No, THREE people. Terra mentioned that Eraqus's heart had become part of his. It seemed that what Terra had said about his mind was true after all. Although it's often overlooked, a Nobody is the body AND soul of a person. Which meant Terra's mind had been guiding Xemnas this entire time, even though he wasn't always aware of it. In fact, he no longer even had any elements of Master Xehanort. Now he understood why he always had the urge to find Aqua and Ven.

Ven. With Aqua in his life again, Xemnas had nearly forgotten about his other friend. He needed to find out where he was. Even now, Xemnas felt a strong desire to find the boy and be with him again. And he felt that the only person who knew his friend's fate…was Aqua.

Still contemplating over this shocking revelation, Xemnas calmly walked out of the room. When he opened the door, he was surprised to find Xigbar waiting for him.

"Were you eavesdropping again?" the Superior asked.

Xigbar smirked. "Yes, but I didn't hear you talking to yourself."

Xemnas nodded. "That's because I've finally remembered the truth."

Xigbar's lone amber eye widened for just a moment. Xemnas noticed this, narrowing his gaze at the second-in-command. In a blur of movement, the freeshooter found himself being held against the wall by his boss. Swirls of darkness gathered in the fallen hero's hand, and Xigbar gazed at it in shock. Master Xehanort's Keyblade was inches from cutting his neck.

The cowering Nobody gulped. "This is familiar."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Xemnas hissed. "You hid this from me for years!"

"Boss man, calm down!" Xigbar begged. "Can't we peacefully discuss this?"

Xemnas continued to glare at his subordinate. "Fine. But I expect an explanation."

"Of course!" the sniper exclaimed.

The two stood there, neither one making a move to talk. Xigbar awkwardly scratched his back, which only made his associate grit his teeth.

"Well?" the Superior yelled.

The marksman's eyes widened in shock. "Geez, you really are ticked off. Let's have a few drinks to relax."

"I'm interested in your reasoning for lying to me, not refreshments," he coldly replied.

Xigbar folded his hands together. "Trust me, you need something to cool you off."

Groaning, Xemnas reluctantly followed the man into a dark corridor, determined to get answers.

* * *

Terra's Nobody impatiently tapped his fingers on the hard table. Finally, Xigbar stepped away from the refrigerator, holding on to one drink for himself and handing the other to Xemnas.

The two-eyed man stared at him. "Why? Why did you hide this from me?"

Xigbar sighed. "In case you haven't remembered, Terra and I were enemies."

The precisionist pointed to his eye-patch. "He's the one who gave me THIS. I was scarred forever because of him. So I was afraid that if I told you the truth, you would start trying to be like him."

The brown-haired figure took a quick sip from his glass. "Did you have any other reasons?"

"Yes," Xigbar said. "Your other former personality, Master Xehanort, was my old partner. We wanted to use the Heartless if the Keyblade War didn't go so well for us. When you showed up in Radiant Garden, I thought Xehanort was improvising or something. But when it turned out the new Xehanort really was suffering from brain loss, I grew worried. I feared that everything would fall apart."

He smiled a bit. "But things went like we wanted. Even without any memories, you began delving into research and began to create the Heartless. Yet one day, the unexpected happened."

Xigbar pointed toward the Keyblade. "You summoned that weapon, and used it to unlock our hearts. By doing so, we were turned into Heartless and Nobodies. Though if I had to suspect…I'd guess Terra forced you to do this.

Suddenly, Xemnas felt a sudden chill come over him, his Keyblade vanishing as it fell on the floor. He could barely move a muscle. In fact, as he tried to stand, he dropped down. Angry, he grimaced at Xigbar. "What…did you do to me?"

"Drugged your drink," Xigbar responded. "You won't be going anywhere for a while. Which should give me enough time to take care of Aqua."

"WHAT?" Xemnas screamed.

"I have to, Xemnas!" Xigbar shouted. "You're becoming too attached to her. You're becoming more like Terra every day! You even LOOK like him now! And eventually, you'll fully turn into him, and leave us behind so you and Aqua can live in peace. As long as you two have hearts, you don't care at all about the rest of us."

"That isn't true," Xemnas claimed.

"As if!" Xigbar told him. "The truth is, Terra hated me. And when you turn into him, you'll despise me and the rest of the Nobodies just as much. And if nothing else, you won't complete Kingdom Hearts because you wouldn't trust us with that power."

The Superior remained silent for a moment, unable to counter any of those statements.

"Please, Xigbar, spare her!" he begged. "Even without your emotions, are you so foolish to waste our only Keyblade wielder?"

"Do you think I'm blind?" the freeshooter inquired. "I recognize your weapon. You've been able to use it this whole time! But why haven't you?"

The Superior sighed. "Has it ever occurred to you that a Keyblade is much more than a powerful weapon? Keyblades are counterparts to Kingdom Hearts, but whereas Kingdom Hearts can affect one's heart, Keyblades could be designed to transform one's mind. Whenever I use it, I hear Xehanort's voice...trying to brainwash me and turn me into a puppet. Sometimes I even begin having deranged thoughts about the Keyblade War when I use that cursed weapon."

Xigbar shrugged. "Well get used to it. Once Aqua's gone, you'll have to be the new Keyblade wielder."

"Never," Xemnas hissed. "If you so much as step within five feet of her, I'll rip your head off."

"Whoa, you sound angry!" the sniper exclaimed. "Unfortunately, you really don't have a choice. Catch ya later, buddy."

As Xemnas seethed with rage, Xigbar slipped into darkness. The Superior tried to relax, knowing full well that Aqua could handle the traitor on her own. But the freeshooter was no fool. He would make sure that this time, she wouldn't survive. And Xemnas coud only lie in pain, unable to even move his fingers.

* * *

Clothed in her usual outfit, Aqua slowly strolled down the hallway. Suddenly, Xigbar appeared before her in a wisp of darkness. Realizing he was armed, Aqua quickly summoned her armor and Keyblade.

"Alright, Aqua, it's about time you learned your place," he barked. "I'm ending this."

Behind her helmet, she couldn't help but smile. "You know you can't defeat me. I don't even understand why you're attempting this."

"Well alone, no," Xigbar admitted. "But tell me, Aqua, do you know how a Nobody is formed?"

She silently glared beneath the visor.

Xigbar snapped his hands, opening another dark corridor. "When a person submits to darkness, the Nobody is the body and soul cast behind. But the HEART, on the other hand, becomes something far more dangerous."

A man concealed in a brown robe stepped out of the portal. His back was hunch over, and his face was completely obscured. Aqua took off her helmet to have a better look at the figure, but still couldn't recognize him. A lone ball of light floated out of the robe.

Xigbar smiled. "Have you ever seen Master Xehanort without his body?"

"WHAT?" she yelled in disbelief.

Suddenly, sparks of dark electricity began bursting from the glowing sphere. It began to grow darker, taking on a humanoid form. It had black antennas, solid yellow eyes, and bandages scattered across its upper body. Instead of legs, the creature's lower part narrowed into a short curve. And then Aqua recognized it. The monster that she had fought years ago was now standing before her. And then she began seeing the similarities between Xehanort and the transformed Terra. Both had tan skin, yellow eyes, and white hair. She finally understood. Xehanort was the one who possessed Terra.

The warrior gritted her teeth. "You...it was YOU!"

The demonic being laughed. "What's wrong, Aqua? Aren't you happy to see me?"

She flinched at first, not expecting the creature to be able to talk. Yet it had the same voice as Terra did when Xehanort was possessing him.

"I once thought that nobody deserved death," she claimed. "But you, Xehanort, will never have a shred of mercy from me!"

Smiling with a sharp grin, the demon charged at Aqua as the Keyblade Master readied her stance.

* * *

Xemnas felt helpless, and could only ponder how Xigbar was going to pull it off. Yet that didn't matter. All he could feel was absolute rage at how powerless he was. Then, overwhelming determination swept him.

He lost his heart when Xehanort possessed him.

He lost his master when Xehanort killed him.

He lost his home when it was destroyed by Xehanort.

He lost Aqua when she fell into darkness so that he could be saved. But so long as he controlled his body, he would never lose her again!

Finally, he was able to clench his fist. Holding out his hand, Xemnas summoned the Keyblade of the dark master.

He held it up with all the will he could muster, angrily grinding his teeth. "HEAL!"

* * *

Xehanort raised his deformed black arms, blasting a wave of lightning that danced across the floor toward Aqua. The ocean mistress cart-wheeled to the side, easily dodging the attack. Just as her heels touched the marble, Aqua saw a gun pop out of thin air right in front of her face. She back-flipped, narrowly escaping a laser barrage as the bullets skimmed above her nose. Before she could even land, the Keyblade warrior found two guns emerge out of nowhere. Panicking, she quickly summoned her barrier, deflecting the shots. As she held the barrier. Just as Xigbar stopped shooting, Aqua turned to her left to see the monster forming two orbs of darkness in its hands. Hearing a noise behind her, Aqua whipped her head around to see Xigbar charging a huge amount of energy from his crossbows.

Xehanort hurled the objects towards her, just as Xigbar fired his crystal. Unlike some fighters, Aqua had an incredibly good memory. Recalling that Xigbar's attack would home on to her, she tensed the muscles in her legs, waiting for just the right moment. Then, just as the shard was about to pierce through her, she jumped high into the air. Glancing down, she realized that Xehanort was charging at her, the front of his body covered in a cyan aura. She gripped the hilt of her weapon, the blade igniting with flames. Orienting herself so that she was now diving, Aqua dashed towards Xehanort, striking him with all the anger and fire she could in a single blast. Engulfed in flames, Xehanort groaned, and helplessly slammed against the marble floor. Suddenly, she felt a sharp pain in her side as she was about to land.

Turning to her right, Aqua realized that Xigbar had launched another volley at her, and was preparing another. Out of the corner of her eye, Aqua saw that Xehanort was firing more electricity waves toward her. Slowly exhaling, Aqua felt all her troubles fade away as the sharp end of her Keyblade grew tenfold in a bright glow. Dashing forward, she evaded both their initial attacks, and struck both of them with her enhanced Keyblade in one quick swing. She continued to swing the weapon, scratching the Nobody and Heartless as they failed to avoid her attacks. Growling with frustration, Xigbar jumped into a portal, and appeared behind the girl. Yet before he could even fire, her Keyblade smacked him across the face, as she began twirling it in circles around her. Finally, she thrust the hilt against the ground, sending out a bright shockwave that knocked both opponents back.

Frustrated and furious, Xigbar floated into the air, his body glowing with a dark aura, while Xehanort dived into the ground, disappearing from sight. Recognizing both of these moves, Aqua nervously felt goose-bumps crawl across her skin. Refusing to give up, Aqua held out her Keyblade, her body outlined with a white glow. A pool of darkness formed beneath the girl, who seemed to be standing still, and Xehanort leapt out of it, his hands reaching for her. Yet for some reason, he passed right through her. Confused, he turned to see three different images of the girl surrounding Xigbar. Two of them were frozen, while the third was attacking. Xigbar vanish from spot to spot, his arms shooting dark crystals emitting a purple glow. He fired from every angle, yet even though the shots were headed for her, they hit the floor, as if she were transparent.

Exhausted, Xigbar stopped teleporting, only to see the real Aqua strike him repetitively across the face. He dropped on his knees, grunting with pain. Just as Aqua was about to swing her weapon again, she felt a pair of powerful arms grab her. The warrior struggled to free herself from Xehanort, but had no success.

Xigbar slowly stood up, chuckling as he charged his guns. "Well, Aqua, looks like it's finally over."

She kicked and hit the monster with her Keyblade as hard as she could, yet it wasn't enough. She couldn't break free. Realizing she failed, Aqua closed her eyes as she waited for the pain.

A sharp stab echoed throughout the hall, yet as the girl opened her eyes, she realized that her body hadn't even been harmed. Raising her head, she saw Braig's face distorted in pain. The Nobody dropped to his knees, and then to the ground. Aqua's eyes widened to see Master Xehanort's old Keyblade inserted into the sniper's back. As the Nobody slowly faded away into nothingness, Xemnas stepped forward, picking up his weapon.

Aqua smiled. "Terra."

Xemnas pointed the blade at the foul beast before him, realizing who the creature had to be. "Release her now, Xehanort!"

Rather than make any move to compromise, Xehanort laughed. "Why should I? She's only been a nuisance for my plans. Though it seems I'm not the only one who's been busy. Look at you, Terra. Here you are, emotionless and inexistent, and yet you've built an empire of your own."

"I did all this so I can one day be with my friends, not out of sheer curiosity like you!" Xemnas countered.

Suddenly, Xehanort raised one hand, which gave Aqua enough time to get free. The girl bounced off the monster's chest, leaping toward her love. Yet just as she did, Xehanort's raised hand turned into a fist, and a dark purple inferno ascended from the floor. Xemnas watched in absolute horror, only to see Aqua's armor mostly burnt off. Her eyes began to water, and she helplessly fell against the ground. Before he could even step forward to help her, Xehanort rushed towards him. Grimacing at the beast, Xemnas began to unleash a ferocious combo on the creature. Xehanort growled in pain, his head lowered toward the floor. When he looked up, he saw Xemnas's weapon transforming into an all too familiar cannon. Before he could make a move, Xemnas fired the weapon, the blast directly hitting Xehanort. He fired it again, and again, until all three spheres of energy had exploded against his archenemy.

Xehanort screamed in pain, every dark shred of him evaporating. Satisfied that the foe was gone, Xemnas quickly knelt beside Aqua, casting heal on her.

"It's too late, Terra," she spoke.

He looked at her, sadly watching her cry. "Aqua, don't have that attitude! I can save you. I HAVE to save you!"

She shook her head. "I wish you could. But I can already feel the darkness overtaking me. It's just too much."

Tears flowed down her cheeks until her entire face was soaked. "Now I understand…how you fell. This power…it can't be stopped.

Xemnas's eyes began to water. "Aqua, please. I can't let you go. I just can't. We've been through so much together, and our future won't have any problems. Xehanort's gone now!"

She nodded. "You're right, he is. I'm so sorry…that I couldn't prevent him from doing that to you, Terra."

"There's no reason to be sorry, just be hopeful!" Xemnas demanded. "You're too strong to give up now! Don't die!"

"I can't...keep going," Aqua said. "The darkness is surging within my body. I don't know where I'm headed or what it'll be like. I just hope…I can see the master again. I need to apologize for all this. I brought Xehanort back to this realm. I should have been able to save Ven and help you defeat Xehanort at the Keyblade Graveyard. Everything that's happened is my fault."

"That's a lie!" Xemnas screamed.

Rather than answer, Aqua raised her hands toward Xemnas. The Superior hugged her, refusing to let go.

"Terra…I can't even express how much you mean to me," she told him.

"Please…just keep talking," the man said. "Don't stop."

He waited for a response, yet heard none. Pressing his ear against her chest, he sadly heard the heartbeat fade away.

Xemnas felt water run down his face, yet ignored it as he lightly brushed away Aqua's wet tears.

He lowered his head, his sorrowful tears dropping against the ground. The person who he was willing to do anything and everything for…was gone. Despite all his effort, he had lost her too.

The Superior looked at her face, a perfect face with unrivaled beauty. Sniffing, he tried to hold back his cries.

"Aqua," he sadly muttered.

* * *

Dark waves slowly crashed against the shore, approaching but never touching Xemnas. As he sat alone in the desolate realm, the Nobody glanced upwards, his shadowy blue eyes glistening in the moonlight. He glanced at his reflection in the water, realizing that Zexion's spell had never worn off even a bit. It was better that way though. Even without emotions, Xemnas was much more like Terra than Xehanort. Plus, he personally thought the new appearance was much more attractive. Hearing a dark corridor opening, he turned to his left. A slimmer and shorter hooded figure emerged.

The Superior smiled. "You have arrived."

The figure silently sat next to him on the boulder.

"Today's the anniversary," the silver-haired man declared.

He turned to his left, facing the being. "Five years have passed since your birth."

"Those long years felt like a decade," the mysterious figure responded.

Both Nobodies remained quiet for a while. Finally, Xemnas began staring out toward the ocean. "Fate has a cruel sense of humor. You and I understand this better than anyone. In my case it made sense. The embers of darkness were always in my heart, until one day they ignited a conflagration that imprinted my destiny in flames. Yet of all the people to become a Nobody…I never thought you would."

The companion turned to Xemnas. "I don't regret it. Though I suppose I CAN'T regret it."

"So when you have shown your feelings in the past…you've just been pretending like the rest of us?" the Superior asked.

The person nodded. And for the next few moments, Xemnas stayed silent. Suddenly, Xemnas reached into his pocket, pulling out an orange star-shaped charm.

"Do you still have yours?" the man asked.

"Of course," the unknown being said. With a gloved hand, the anonymous person pulled out a similar charm, the only difference being that it was colored blue.

Turning towards his friend, Xemnas took off the figure's hood. He was always amazed to see how different she looked. The girl was now a woman, with even more graceful hair that grew past her shoulders. Although the glamorous locks on her head had stayed blue, her eyes had become a fierce shade of yellow, the shade he once had years ago. Yet her face, that beautiful face, was essentially the same.

She tried to smile back, wanted to return his kind efforts. But that's all they were, attempts. She could never truly feel happy on this infamous day. On this day, she changed forever, and was forced the embrace the very thing she swore to destroy: darkness. It no longer pained or frightened her. In fact, it empowered the woman, and she was proud to call it her mastered element. However, this darkness had done more harm than good. This new existence, or inexistence really, had emptied her of any true emotions. The former heroine could feel nothing as positive as joy or as negative as guilt. Emptiness defined her now.

The same deprivation of emotion had happened to Xemnas at his birth. When that transformation had occurred, he was Terra no more. Emotions influence one's identity, and without real feelings, Xemnas would always be a little different from Terra, regardless of their mind being one in the same. Thus, even though her mind had not changed, the loss of her heart had fundamentally altered the woman.

Xemnas smiled, trying to at least appear to be happy. His mind forced him to want to do this, to want HER. Terra's memories had defined him, just as her memories defined her. And those memories were filled with joyful moments between the two when they had hearts. Their memories urged them to be with each other. The two kissed, each valuing the other despite lacking true emotion.

Breaking the kiss, he softly moved his hand through her hair. "Happy birthday…Axuqa."

The woman grinned back at him, incapable of caring about who she had been and focusing only on who she had become.

She was Aqua no more.


	8. Chapter 8: The Sapphire Sorceress

**Falling for a Nobody**

**Chapter 8: The Sapphire Sorceress**

**Disclaimer: All rights to the Kingdom Hearts Franchise belong to Square Enix and Disney**

_AN: Took me a while to figure out the direction I wanted to take. All I'm gonna say is that this story is gonna start getting into KH1 and then COM and KH2. OH! And there was some confusion about the pronunciation of "Axuqa". It's pronounced "Ah-zoo-kah", and the "a" is pronounced like it is in the word "awful". Sorry if that's sorta confusing, but that's how it's supposed to sound. And the stressed syllable is the first one (if you don't know what that means don't worry about it). ENJOY!_

Another morning. Another day. Another repetitious cycle of the inexistence as a Nobody. Axuqa apathetically rose out of bed, stretching her arms a bit. She glanced to see that Xemnas was still fast asleep. Not wishing to disturb him, the woman quietly entered the bathroom to take her shower. As the hot water raced against her skin, she couldn't help but recall how she turned into a Nobody.

Like all Nobodies, she once had a heart. A heart filled with joy, compassion, and even love. Yet the one person whom she directed the most of that love for was her dear friend Terra. The two had known each other before either one had even reached double digits in age, and were raised like brother and sister. Once puberty took control, however, the two began seeing each other in a different light. There were small hints here and there, but each saw the other as more than a friend. Aqua never made her move simply because she didn't know how Terra felt, and additionally, how Master Eraqus would feel if they became romantically involved.

Thus, the amorous girl suppressed her feelings, hoping that they would vanish by the time she was an adult. But when she grew into a woman under her Master's tutelage, Terra had become a man in the process. The two were only a year apart, with Terra being 20 and Aqua being 19 in the last days of their apprenticeship. The girl began having dreams about him. Although she cared for Ven like a brother, she saw the other as the man of her dreams. And yes, she dreamt about him…more than once.

Yet this attraction was completely mutual. Terra did his best to hide it, but he always found himself looking at Aqua in awe, admiring every feature of her body and personality. Once she had become a woman, Terra's goal to be a Keyblade Master stayed constant, but its motives were different. He hoped that upon receiving the status as a master, he could leave the world with Aqua and live somewhere with her. On more than one occasion, Terra's subconscious vividly imagined such a life in his dreams.

Two lovers…both with mutual attractions and dreams…

Both with a tragic destiny.

The two were now together once more…yet they couldn't feel genuine love. They couldn't feel emotion. They could pretend and try to create romance based on their memories of emotion. But as long as they lacked hearts, they would lack true love.

Axuqa intended to fill that empty void. For her five years since the day she literally became a Nobody in Xemnas's arms, Axuqa and the male Nobody had remained close and flirty, despite the vanity of their efforts to create real feelings. With Xigbar gone, Axuqa now took the place as Number II of Organization XIII. Her title was the "Sapphire Sorceress", and the element she specialized in was darkness. Cold, unforgiving, ruthless darkness. Ironically, the very element that took her heart from her now gave Axuqa power and the illusion of existence.

Soon though, Axuqa felt she would have a true existence, a true heart, and true love.

* * *

Fully dressed in a tighter variant of the black coat, Axuqa strolled into the castle's dining room. She spotted her friend Axel sitting at the table already.

"Morning, Axel," she greeted.

He smiled. "Good morning. How was sleeping with the Superior?"

She chuckled. "That joke never gets old for you, does it?"

He shrugged. "Why should it? I mean that IS what you're doing, isn't it?"

The woman shook her head. "Nope. We've never done that."

"Are you saying you two have never done that…or are you implying that Terra and Aqua-" he began to say.

"We have our memories, Axel, so no, they never did that either," she asserted. "And I would watch what you say around Xemnas. He doesn't appreciate it when people talk about me or our past like that."

Axel nodded. "Fair enough. I only say these things around you though."

She rolled her amber eyes. "Lucky me."

A dark corridor rose from the ground, revealing Demyx as it dissipated.

"Morning guys!" he cheerfully greeted.

"Good morning, Demyx," Axuqa replied while Axel just nodded to acknowledge him.

"So how did you guys sleep?" the blonde asked.

Axel smirked. "Axuqa slept VERY well last night I hear."

The woman glared while Demyx widened his eyes in surprise. "Wow…did you two finally do it?"

"Do what?" a deep voice asked.

Terrified, Demyx turned to see Xemnas standing behind him, his blue eyes filled with rage.

"Er…get a new mattress!" the man quickly explained. "I mean you've been complaining about that before, right?"

Xemnas held the glare. "I don't think I've mentioned that before."

"How long have you been there?" Axel asked.

The Superior crossed his arms. "Well that depends. How long ago were you making perverted innuendos about Axuqa and myself?"

Axel stared at Xemnas in shock. Guiltily, he hung his head. "I'm sorry, Superior. I was only kidding. What you do in private is your business and yours alone."

"Careful with how often you use your tongue, Axel," Xemnas said. "Sometimes you can lose something from overuse."

Ignoring the two men, Xemnas calmly sat next to Axuqa, lightly kissing her on the cheek.

"Morning," she said to him.

"You could have woken me up," he said.

"Sorry, I thought you were too sore from last night," she explained.

Upon hearing that, Demyx began choking on his drink. Struggling, he swallowed it, and noticed that the couple was glaring at him.

"She was referring to the SPARRING SESSION we had!" Xemnas barked.

"Oh…" the blonde muttered.

Aqua couldn't help but giggle a bit. Regardless of if the emotions were real, her memories gave her the illusion of them from time to time. Plus, sometimes pretense was far more enjoyable than reality.

* * *

Xemnas basked under the light of his artificial Kingdom Hearts. Axuqa calmly stood beside him.

"We've come so far thanks to you, Axuqa," he remarked. "Soon enough, our artificial Kingdom Hearts will be complete."

"It's a shame we were only able to start this a few months ago," Axuqa remarked.

Xemnas nodded. "I didn't realize how long it would take for me to gain the ability to gather hearts. And every day I live with the cost…"

He summoned the red ethereal blades at his side, no longer able to wield a Keyblade.

"Was it worth sacrificing your ability to use a Keyblade?" Axuqa inquired.

"Surely," he responded. "Since you can use the sacred weapon, there is no need for me to."

She smirked. "What if I try to overthrow you?"

He smiled, softly brushing her hair. "I don't think you'd want to. How could you betray someone you think you love?"

The woman held him. "Are you saying Nobodies can love?"

"Hardly," he responded. "The keyword is THINK. It is merely an illusion. Though considering our very existences are illusions…"

The Superior's face inched closer to hers. "…some things are worth the pretense."

He softly pressed his lips against hers, softly moving his gloved hands through her blue mane. At the same time, Aqua caressed the brown hair on her boyfriend's head. A dark portal erupted behind the pair, yet Xemnas ignored it, hoping the intruder would leave. Axuqa opened her eyes, noticing that Saix was watching them. Slowly, she broke the kiss.

"I think someone wants you," she muttered.

Groaning, Xemnas turned to Saix. "What is it Number VII?"

Nervously the Nobody stepped forward. "Forgive me for interrupting, my Lord. I'm simply here to give my daily update of our recon progress.

Axuqa patiently waited while Xemnas stormed over. "In that case, report."

"The Heartless have begun increasing at an exponential rate in the Realm of Light," Saix said. "Even at this moment, entire worlds are being devoured by darkness."

Xemnas was shocked. "Really? Is something stimulating them?"

"We're currently investigating that, my Lord," Saix responded.

"Return to your duties then," Xemnas commanded.

The underling nodded, vanishing into darkness. Grinning, Xemnas softly held the woman. "Now where were we?"

He realized she was distracted.

"What is it?" he inquired.

"Why does Saix seem so afraid of you?" the second-in-command wondered.

"Everyone has fear of me, and rightfully so considering my power over them," he responded.

"True…but Saix seems to have more than most," she added.

Xemnas sighed. "When I was an apprentice…back when I had no memory and my heart was under Xehanort's influence…I captured people from Radiant Garden to experiment on. These victims were exposed to cruel techniques and turned into Heartless. Saix's original persona, Isa, was one of those subjects."

Axuqa stared in horror. "What did you do to him?"

"We connected this machine to him that literally poured darkness into him," Xemnas said. "But I felt the darkness had to enter his skin…so the machine had a blade in the shape of an X, hence his scar."

The woman gasped in surprise, ignoring the fact that her horror was fake. "That's terrible."

He nodded. "I know. And if I could take it back, I would. The torture was unnecessary really."

The woman nodded. "And those experiments are the reason the worlds are in trouble now, aren't they?"

"Yes," Xemnas confirmed. "Once Kingdom Hearts is ours though, none of that will bear significance."

She smiled. "We can fix everything."

"Improve, not merely repair," Xemnas corrected.

Letting her false infatuation control her, Axuqa lost herself in his blue orbs, passionately kissing the man she believed to be her love.

* * *

A group of three kids calmly stared out toward the sea. One was a brunette with innocent blue eyes, another was a redhead with determined cobalt orbs, and the third was a boy with white hair and rare cyan eyes. The kids, known as Sora, Riku, and Kairi, were situated around a palm tree, looking towards the sunset.

"So, Kairi's home is out there somewhere, right?" Sora asked.

Riku nodded. "Could be. We'll never know by staying here."

"But how far could a raft take us?" Sora argued.

The other boy waved his hand. "Who knows. If we have to, we'll think of something else."

Kairi looked at the white haired child. "So suppose you get to another world. What would you do there?"

Riku mused to himself. "Well I…haven't really thought about it. It's just I've always why we're here on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why did we end up on this one? And suppose there ARE other worlds. Then ours is just a little piece of something much greater. So we could have just as easily ended up somewhere else, right?"

Sora reclined on the tree. "I don't know."

The older boy nodded. "Exactly. That's why we need to go out there and find out. Sitting here won't change a thing. It's the same old stuff. So let's go."

"You've been thinking a lot lately…haven't you?" Kairi said in realization.

The boy turned to her. "Thanks to you. If you hadn't come here, I probably would've never thought of any of this."

Riku smiled at her. "Kairi…thanks."

She grinned in response. "You're welcome."

Sora leapt off the tree, slowly walking across the bridge with Kairi and Riku. As they were walking, Riku held out something.

"Sora!" he called out to the boy.

The younger male turned, and saw an object hurtling towards him. He caught it, recognizing it to be a paopu fruit.

"A paopu fruit?" he inquired.

"If two people share one, their destinies become intertwined," he explained. "They'll remain a part of each other's lives no matter what."

Realizing Sora was confused, Riku smiled. "Come on, I know you wanna try it!"

"What are you talking-" the boy began to say.

Then, Sora realized he was referring to Kairi. Riku knew that Sora had a crush on Kairi since the girl had first arrived on the islands. Dropping the fruit, Sora raced after Riku, yet the boy kept a steady pace ahead of him while laughing at his embarrassment. The two stopped in their tracks next to Kairi and the docks.

"Are you two done playing or what?" she asked.

Hoping Riku wouldn't bring it up, Sora nodded. "Yeah, let's head back."

Just as they were about to walk on the dock, Riku glanced at the Secret Place. Narrowing his eyes in confusion, the boy saw a hooded figure enter the cave.

"You guys go ahead…I'll catch up later," the boy promised.

"Okay, see you back at the islands then," Sora replied.

As the younger two of the trio entered their boats, Riku calmly approached the cave. He stepped inside, examining the drawings on the walls. Every piece of art inside had been created by himself and Sora over the years. The boy smiled as he moved his hand over a drawing of a castle. What truly captivated the boy's attention was not the cave itself but the mysterious object within. He traced the outline of the strange wooden door, examining its golden outline.

"It's difficult discerning whether a door is meant to be kept closed or opened," a deep voice stated.

Riku whipped around in shock to see the figure from before. The enigma was wearing a black cloak with the hood raised over his head.

"Who are you?" the boy asked.

"Are you seeking a title, a name, or perhaps a face?" the man responded.

The youth crossed his arms. "The last two sound fine."

The man removed his hood, revealing bold blue eyes and a mane of brown spikes. The boy widened his eyes in realization, recognizing the man as the same person who visited a decade ago. The Nobody smiled, pleased that the boy remembered his face.

"You…you're back," Riku said in disbelief.

"Forgive me, Riku," the man said. "I nearly forgot about my promise. I've had other matters to attend to unfortunately."

"I never got your name," the child said.

"Xemnas," he responded. "Tell me…would you be interested in forming an alliance?"


	9. Chapter 9: Insurrection

**Falling for a Nobody**

**Chapter 9: Insurrection**

**Disclaimer: All rights to the Kingdom Hearts Franchise belong to Square Enix and Disney**

_AN: Wow, I probably tortured you guys with this wait. I just want to apologize to anyone who was following this, I REALLY went on hiatus. Rest assured, I've FINALLY figured out what to do with this story and I hope you stay tuned for the upcoming twists and message I'm trying to give._

Xemnas and the boy faced one another in silence.

Riku looked perplexed, shocked by what the mysterious man had offered him.

Xemnas, on the other hand, stared with intrigue.

Something seemed to resonate from the boy. Though Nobodies couldn't feel, Xemnas felt what seemed to be a tingle of joy.

Could the child's heart simply be strong?

No, it wasn't simply that. The Superior could already tell that something else was emanating from Riku.

Something familiar…

* * *

_Fire seemed to mix with water as the sun descended on Destiny Islands. A young man who looked no older than two decades held out his hand. Flashes of squares spun around his glove, revealing an object of legendary origin. The blade of the weapon was as brown as the Earth._

"_In your hand, take this key…" Terra commanded._

* * *

As the images faded, Xemnas felt a strange emotion. The phenomenon struck him immediately. Nobodies cannot genuinely feel emotions. Yet now, he felt one... one which he embraced in a past life for the sake of defending his friends…

Rage.

"An alliance?" Riku asked.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Xemnas's eyes glazed over him.

"I…kinda thought we were already on the same side," the teenager explained.

"This partnership would be more than mere words," Xemnas promised. "Each of us would benefit the other in real ways."

"What could you do?" Riku inquired.

The Nobody held out his hands, electricity sparking within them. "I could teach you how to gain supernatural abilities. I could fulfill my promise to take you away from this world and help you explore the planes beyond it."

That last offer caught his attention. For as long as he could remember, Riku had desperately desired to depart from the islands. He felt so trapped in them. While tourists generally think of the tropics as ideal places to live, Riku viewed his islands as a prison surrounded by water.

"I…could actually leave…" Riku muttered.

The man feigned a genuine smile. "You would be my apprentice of sorts. It's what I intended from the start really…why else would I have given you the ability to wield a Keyblade?"

Riku squinted for a moment. "Keyblade?"

The tall figure nodded, holding out his hand. "Make this motion."

Holding out his own palm, Riku suddenly felt a surge of energy form at the tips of his fingers. Some sort of white gas or liquid, he wasn't sure which, began to form in his hand. It took the shape of a handle with a strange blade, and upon dimming, revealed itself to be a giant key. The hilt was silvered while the guard had a golden tint.

"This is a weapon?" the boy asked.

Xemnas approached him. "Far more than that. The Keyblade is a legendary weapon of ancient myths. It has the capability to create uninterrupted harmony in the universe...yet at the same time it could wreak untold chaos and destruction upon it. With a creation such as this, the fate of the universe lies in your hands."

Riku laughed. "I can't believe this. I'm just a kid! How could I have that kind of power?"

"The potential is inside of you, raging like a fire," the Superior assured him. "You merely have to feed the flame."

The teenager was still hesitant. Suddenly, his eyes widened as a dark corridor erupted behind Xemnas.

"Gather your thoughts on this matter, Riku," he commanded rather than ask. "I will return tomorrow to hear your choice."

In a burst of shadows, the man was gone. Everything began to overwhelm the boy as he stepped out of the cave. As much as he had hoped it would work, Riku had been skeptical if the raft could actually bring them to another world. Yet now, this man had given him the opportunity he dreamed of. Riku wasn't sure what Xemnas would want from him, but it HAD to be more exciting than living in his prison. Riku stood at the edge of the shore, watching the sun slowly drift towards the horizon.

He sighed. "What a small world."

* * *

Sleep was essentially the sister of death. The only difference between the siblings was that those caught in sleep's embrace could one day awaken. That hope alone fueled Axuqa to remain patient. She sadly watched over Ven's body. Despite not having his heart, the boy had fully grown into an adult. His blonde hair had grown into more of a mane, although it barely reached his neck. Although it was difficult to see in his seated position, he had grown taller as well. In fact it seemed his height extended a bit beyond hers.

Axuqa whipped her head in response to the doors hissing open. She smiled to see Xemnas step inside.

"You're late," she teased.

He shook his head. "Forgive me, I was delayed."

She giggled. "Why do you always sound so formal?"

Strangely, the man smirked. And in a flash of movement, Axuqa found herself being held in his arm as if she were his bride.

"Why do you always sound… irresistible?" he inquired.

She returned the smile, leading the Superior to release her. Growing serious, he walked past her and toward his other friend. For a long time, Xemnas had scoured the rooms of Castle Oblivion in search of dormant Ven. Though the floors numbered 13 above and 12 below, the rooms were infinite. Only the Keyblade of Master Eraqus, which Axuqa could summon at will, could open the door to the Chamber of Awakening. With the Chamber finally unlocked, the pair of Nobodies visited their friend regularly.

"Has his dormant condition changed?" he inquired.

She shook her head. "Not at all."

Xemnas showed no reaction in his expression whatsoever. "I hardly find that surprising. Without his heart, Ven is doomed to slumber for eternity."

"Where's his heart?" Axuqa inquired.

He stared at her for a moment. "It's possible that Ven's heart turned into a Heartless."

"What?" she said in surprise.

Xemnas had to be wrong. Ventus was one of the kindest people Axuqa had ever known. And while negative emotions stir darkness within someone, positive emotions like compassion spur light. And compassion was truly one of Ven's qualities. His selflessness surpassed that of any self-righteous hero, for he offered to abandon his life so that Aqua and Terra would not see the horror of the X-Blade. Yet that memory… like so many others… was nothing more than a gust in the wind.

"He had such light and innocence… there's no way!"

"It sounds crazy, but from my research under Ansem it seems possible," Xemnas replied. "Hearts cannot wander darkness forever, which his probably has been. Eventually they submit to darkness."

Axuqa bit her lip. "Good thing we don't have true feelings, otherwise I'm sure I'd be crying right now."

Suddenly, the woman felt a firm hand grip hers. She cocked her head back, her flaring orange orbs locking with Xemnas's cobalt eyes. Smiling, the man raised his free hand to trace the thick blue locks on her head. His gaze shifted to her yellow eyes. Somedays, Xemnas still held disbelief toward how different she looked. He frowned, just as he had many times in realizing the physical distinction between Aqua and Axuqa.

"Why do you want to appear this way?" he inquired.

She mirrored his smirk, losing her hands in his brunette mane. "I've told you countless times before… the way I look serves as a reminder that I'm not Aqua."

"Yet you are essentially Aqua… your heart did not merge with Xehanort's as mine did," he countered.

"Losing emotions can make someone different, Xemnas," she answered. "Trust me, I'm not the same person I once was."

"A satisfactory answer," he noted. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to sleep."

She quirked an eyebrow. "In your Chamber? Honestly, I feel like this is you way of having the tree house that the Master never gave you."

He grinned. "Eraqus was certainly strict."

"Not to mention homicidal," she muttered.

His smile disappeared, quickly understanding her sudden change in mood. "You still haven't forgiven him for trying to kill Ven, have you."

How could she? Years ago, Aqua had been under the impression that Eraqus was just going to harm Ven to incapacitate him and keep him imprisoned. Yet during her time as a Nobody in the Organization, Xemnas unveiled the cold truth that he witnessed with his own eyes.

Returning to reality, Axuqa shook her head. "It's difficult for me to look past that."

The Superior nodded. "I understand. When Kingdom Hearts is complete, I'd like to restore him as well though."

Axuqa's only response to that was silence, leading Xemnas to take his leave. With a flick of his wrist, the Nobody vanished into his black oval.

The sorceress approached Ven, softly stroking his hair like a mother would. Yet her smile towards his presence merely hid how helpless she felt. Ventus had been sleeping for a decade. The sooner he woke up, the better. Though she could not feel sorrow, the memories of her trio in the Land of Departure haunted her, pushing her to long for a circle of friendship she once lost.

Extinguishing her smile, she sighed. "I need more power."

* * *

_Confused and afraid, a young teenager with blonde spikes stared at his Master. He refrained from summoning his weapon, hoping to signal that he didn't wish to fight. Yet surrender clearly wasn't an option, for Eraqus held his ground. Ventus felt his already weakened heart beat faster than ever._

"_Forgive me," the man said. "But you must exist no more!"_

_As the words left his mouth, the tip of the Keyblade Master's Keyblade began to brightly glow white._

"_VEN!" a determined voice cried out._

_The light exploded, blinding everyone. As it faded, Eraqus leered in shock. "What?"_

_The figure had the appearance of a fierce warrior. His armor bore shades of brown, gold, and red. To Ventus, this warrior was more than his savior. He was one of his closest friends… someone he had always looked up to as a brother._

"_Master, have you gone mad?" the armored youth asked._

_Gritting his teeth, Eraqus beckoned toward him. "Terra! I command you, stand aside!"_

"_No!" he stated in refusal._

"_You will not heed your master?" Eraqus inquired._

"_I won't!" the youth affirmatively replied._

_Eraqus lowered his head in disappointment. "Why do all my attempts to reach you fail? If you don't have it in your heart to obey, then you will have to share Ventus's fate."_

_As a lone tear drifted down his face, Eraqus charged forward. The two warriors clashed, neither one gaining the edge as they exchanged a series of basic Keyblade strikes and blocks._

_Ven looked up in desperation, feeling guilty that two men who were family to him were fighting because of his cursed existence. "Enough, Terra! He's right."_

"_Quiet!" Terra barked._

_Ven looked up, his blue eyes shining with admiration. "Terra…"_

_Meeting yet another of Terra's blocks, Eraqus leapt back. Bringing his Keyblade around, swirls of light began to form. They encircled the tip of his blade, forming sphere bursting with energy. With a powerful swing of his blade, Eraqus sent the blast rushing towards his apprentices._

_Attempting to block it, Terra's efforts were mostly in vain as the explosion knocked them back. Ven fell to the ground, while Terra held his footing._

_The brunette hoisted Ventus up by his waist, raising his head just as Eraqus began charging another attack. When would the madness end? Was his master that determined to hurt Ven? Whatever the cost, he had to protect the boy he saw as a younger sibling._

_Exhaling his concern for his own well being, Terra looked upon his master with enhanced resolve._

"_You may be my master…" the youth admitted._

_As he spoke, a black outline formed around him. Dark tendrils danced off him like flames, signaling a power he had long kept hidden…_

_Darkness._

"_But I will not… let you hurt my friend!" Terra declared._

"_Has the darkness taken you, Terra?" Eraqus screamed._

_Ignoring that question, Terra aimed his Keyblade behind him. Opening a portal, he tossed Ventus inside._

_The boy looked up, distraught that they were still fighting. "Wait, Terra!"_

_The portal closed, transporting Ven as Terra prepared for his toughest fight yet._

* * *

Xemnas lazily opened his eyes, resisting the urge to yawn after his deep sleep. Though he had viewed that memory many times before, he wanted to see it yet again after what Aqua had said.

"Eraqus was only acting according to his heart," he muttered. "Xehanort, as always, was the manipulating force behind everything."

Suddenly, an explosion resounded in the hallway outside. Leaping out of his throne, the Superior watched in shock as something began hammering on his locked door.

The two halves split, falling loudly against the metallic floor. With the doorway wide open, Xemnas gazed in surprise at the intruders. Saix, Axel, Marluxia and Larxene all stood in the doorway.

"Is there a reason the four of you have disturbed my private quarters?" he asked.

Saix nodded. "Yes. We're here to overthrow you."

Even with his lack of a heart, Xemnas could not hide the pretense of anger. "Overthrow me? And what purpose would that serve?"

"The Organization no longer needs you," Marluxia explained. "Aqua is the one who gathers hearts. From our perspective, you're just a puppet."

The Superior's expression remained static, showing no change due to frustration or rage. Instead, he curled the tips of his fingers, gathering energy at the tip. As he harnessed the power of nothingness, white flashes burst from his palms. The subordinate Nobodies looked on, somewhat fearful now.

Finally, Xemnas smiled. "If you four are so eager to leave, then I will rid you of what little reputation you have left!"

Raising his hands, Axel threw both chakrams at his leader. Anticipating the attack, Xemnas held up his free hand. From the obscurity of his sleeve, a red blade emerged. The weapon hummed faintly, its noise almost soothing Xemnas despite the situation. The blade clashed against the chakram, easily deflecting the projectile. The discarded chakram slammed against the metallic floor, vanishing in a burst of flames.

The Superior angled his glowing wrist a bit, launching the blast. The rebels dived to the floor, each hoping they would not suffer the fate he wished to inflict. The white beam danced a bit as it soared through the air, finally crashing down like a bolt of lightning. As it did, a blinding light engulfed the room.

Marluxia was the first to open his eyes, and as he did, he could only gape in shock. Axel was on his knees, Saix was standing up…

Larxene, however was gone. Yet something had taken her place. Its form was common, perhaps the most common among all Nobodies. The creature had grey skin and a zipper instead of a mouth. Blue veins outlined its figure, apparently coursing with some type of power.

Yet the power this being had was small compared to the rest of the Organization.

For this being was a Dusk.

Marluxia gritted his teeth. "Clearly we underestimated him. Retreat!"

On cue, the three Nobodies vanished into darkness before Xemnas could make another move. Ignoring their departure, the Superior stepped toward the dusk. The red blade was still in his hand, and now its twin appeared out of his other sleeve. He raised the weapons, holding them near the Dusk's throat.

Xemnas smirked, his eyes set on the new Larxene. "Prepare for a true inexistence, traitor."

* * *

"They staged a rebellion?" Axuqa yelled in shock.

The Superior nodded, resisting the urge to lie on his bed. "Not very well, but yes. Larxene has been eliminated, however, so that leaves three."

Riku tapped his chin for a moment. "Where would they have gone?"

"Nobodies live according to their memories," Xemnas elaborated. "Thus, I believe each of them has retreated to their homeworld. Saix and Axel would be at Radiant Garden, therefore. However, I'm not sure where Marluxia first came from, so we would have to root him out.

Axuqa nodded. "Well in that case, I'll hunt them down."

"Excellent," Xemnas stated. "Be careful when confronting them. If they escape again, I have little to no idea of where they would go. You may want to use your powers over darkness to block the paths of their dark corridors."

"Good point," she agreed.

The woman summoned her portal, vanishing into her element.

Riku glanced at Xemnas. "Is she strong enough to take them both?"

He nodded. "Definitely. Axuqa's one of our most powerful Nobodies."

The boy smirked slightly. "Is she stronger than you?"

Somewhat angered by that comment, Xemnas quickly prepared a response. Suddenly though, he realized what had just happened. He had felt rage, yet again. The same rage which he caught glimpses of after reuniting with Riku on Destiny Islands. Was it simply due to the boy's heart that he felt these emotions?

No. It was different. The experience was distinct from when he once felt emotions from Aqua. Something was very familiar about the emotions Riku projected on to him.

Xemnas merely smiled at the youth. "Axuqa and I are very close in terms of power. If we were to fight, I'm not sure who would win."

"Then what if she rebels?" he asked.

The Superior shook his head. "That would never happen."

"Are you sure?" Riku asked.

Xemnas nodded. "Absolutely. After all…"

Reaching underneath the cloak, Xemnas unveiled a trinket which had been resting against his chest. Its design was simple, resembling a star with the symbol of Eraqus embedded in it. Though there was some variation in color, the dominant hue in the object was orange.

"We share an unbreakable connection," he stated.


	10. Chapter 10: Ding Dong the Witch is Dead

**Falling for a Nobody**

**Chapter 10: Ding Dong the Witch is Dead**

**Disclaimer: All rights to the Kingdom Hearts Franchise belong to Square Enix and Disney**

_AN: Here's another chapter. I've been cruel to those of you who follow this story, and believe me, I wouldn't be ANYWHERE without you guys. So please, keep reading... because within the next two months this story will be finished._

* * *

Axuqa calmly stepped out of the darkness, smiling as the dark tendrils swung against her feet. When she first embraced darkness as her chosen element, the chills agonized her. Simply summoning a Dark Firaga would leave her hand numb and cold. Now the low temperature no longer bothered her. Even at this moment, standing in Radiant Garden as hail pounded the ground beneath her, Axuqa neither flinched nor shivered. Truly, she had embraced the darkness. And through that, she felt nothing from the cold.

How fitting for a Nobody.

Taking in her surroundings, Axuqa glanced beneath her. The floor was stone, resilient enough to withstand the downpour from above. Squinting a bit, she saw through the hail and began making out the design on it. A flower with four petals, each one perpendicular to another, stretched across the landscape. In every corner, a smaller flower eclipsed the floor. Looking more closely at the floor, Axuqa realized how decorated the stone was. A faint stain glass design with sharp angles and similar colors constituted the stone. The pattern was more than beautiful; it was peaceful. Surely the design aimed for such a depiction. A decade ago, Radiant Garden had stood above the other worlds as the epitome of tranquility and prosperity. The courtyard's art complimented the city back then.

Now, however, the art merely stood as a reminder of what had been lost

Yet Axuqa held no compassion for the fallen city. To her, the courtyard solely signified what she had lost decades ago. Even now, amidst the veil of ice falling from above, she could imagine her opponent. Hair once brown had turned a light shade of gray, as if the man had aged half a century. Rather than the peach shade of skin she longed to touch, his skin was almost a sickening orange. And his eyes no longer held the alluring tint of teal which could sooth her with one glance. Instead, they burned yellow, striking fear into her heart.

She had been a fool to not understand what had happened. If she had seen Master Xehanort's weapon during the first battle, she would have understood. She would have known Terra had been possessed by Xehanort. She would have understood how dangerous it was to sacrifice herself to save him, to send the bane of the Realm of Light soaring back into its capital. Xehanort had been the reason Radiant Garden lost its bright reputation. He overthrew their esteemed leader, corrupted the world with the darkness it sought to combat, and caused the deaths of thousands of innocent people.

Yet Axuqa felt no remorse. Her freedom from emotions robbed her of any sympathy for what happened to the world's people.

And the guilt towards Terra had morphed into burning lust for Xemnas.

Turning towards the castle, Axuqa marched forward, her hood failing to shield her from the impact of the hail. Her eyes shifted upwards, noting the features of the building. Numerous towers jutted out of the building, some tilting away from the structures and others toward it in a bizarre manner. The building seemed more menacing and grim than it did ten years ago. Rather than cogs and gears at the front, an enormous heart overlooked the ruined city. She quickly recognized the design as a Heartless symbol, much like the ones decorated on the many creatures she had destroyed over the years. Xemnas told her that after he became a Nobody, his Heartless counterpart used the castle as a home of sorts. Though she had destroyed that entity five years ago though, she had reason to believe there were new occupants in the castle.

Reaching the top of the staircase, she peered down at the end of her road. A large blue abyss stood between her and the castle, with scattered cyan platforms to leap upon.

"I'd rather take a shortcut," she stated to herself.

Snapping her fingers, Axuqa summoned a corridor of darkness, intent on taking a safer route across.

* * *

Stealth and darkness went hand in hand. As Sorceress of Darkness, Axuqa found it easy to lurk in the shadows and use her powers for less aggressive tactics. Her boots, normally black with short sticks at the heel, were covered by thick, indigo auras. Her footsteps were no louder than a pin dropping, adding to the stealth she already had. Though Axuqa hoped nobody inhabited the castle, she felt it was unlikely. Xehanort had not been the only villain in the worlds she visited. Hades, Cinderella's family… so many people had embraced darkness. And, as she knew more than anyone, darkness fills people with ambition, enlightens hearts with newfound freedom: the freedom to abandon one's insulated sphere and explore the true world.

Eventually, darkness congregates its victims together. Today would serve that purpose, with these figures gathering together in accordance with an obsession to the dark. An obsession determined to gain power and thus gain control.

And though the rebels of her organization did not truly belong to the dark, they embraced it all the same.

But they weren't the only practicioners of the dreaded element.

For months, Axuqa and Xemnas had been tracking the movements of a grassroots organization. The members were rare in that they knew about the limits of their worlds, and more importantly, escaped them. Xehanort had orchestrated the creation of this movement, years before Aqua destroyed him. From what she could gather, the intent had been to eventually capture the seven princesses of hearts and thus unlock the door to Kingdom Hearts. Now Axuqa would finish what remained of his master plan.

Basking in the comfort of the shadows high above, Axuqa scanned each member of the group. Months of espionage provided her with all the intel she needed.

Oogie Boogie, a gross sack of critters whose eyes were as black as night.

Captain Hook, a timid yet intimidating pirate with a quest to end a bitter rivalry.

Ursula, a witch from the sea that held a heart as ugly as her appearance.

Jafar, a mage hungry for power and the darkness such authority would provide.

Hades, a bothersome deity who Axuqa intended to strip of immortality.

There was one more… one who filled Terra with grief and helped set him down his path to doom. She contributed to Xehanort's plans and the torturous tread in the dark realm Aqua endured as a result…

Maleficent, a female as malevolent as her name, stood at the center of the group with a wicked smile. Noticing the grin, Axuqa's fingers clenched, her fingernails nearly cutting her skin from the pressure. The scent of the witch's darkness sickened her, hammering dark memories into her head. The witch had predicted, accurately, that Terra would fall to darkness. At the time, Aqua was furious, hopeful that Terra would overcome it.

"_Terra… you better stay strong for me,"_ Aqua's voice echoed in her head.

She never expected Maleficent's self-fulfilling prophecy to come true.

Footsteps resounded from the corner. The organization, it seemed, had new members. Clothed in their usual attire despite their treachery, Saix and Axel stepped forward.

Maleficent grinned. "As our newest members, you have quite some catching up to do. Consider it your… initiation."

"Sorry, witch, but your hazing will have to wait," a feminine voice echoed.

Recognizing the voice, Maleficent whipped her head sideways, eyes slowly widening as a dark portal appeared. Axuqa stepped forth, her footsteps more silent than the clink of her zipper.

"My, you've certainly changed," the woman noted, examining her foe's amber eyes. "Tell me, woman, did you ever find your friend Terra?"

"What she found was merely a shadow," Saix cut in, his tone deriding.

Such a statement would bring the Nobody to the brink of feeling rage.

Gritting her teeth, Axuqa raised her keyblade. Tendrils of darkness erupted from the ground, strangling the traitor. Gasping for air, Saix managed to lift his arm from the mess. A weapon appeared in his hand, its shade predominantly blue with the shape of an axe. Violently swinging, Saix ignited the tentacles with a blue fire. He raised his line of vision, eyes narrowed to face her…

… only to find her gone, with no trace.

Before he could speak, an ache resounded across his torso. The feeling mimicked that of a sword slicing through him. Or something close to a sword…

Falling backward, he glanced up to see Axuqa standing, her Keyblade glowing with a blue angle at its end. Before he could even speak, he found his mouth coughing with blood.

"Forget this!" Axel yelled. "The membership fee was overpriced anyway!"

Axel hoisted Saix on his back, and printing away, the Nobody vaulted down a nearby staircase. They were nuisances, but Axuqa did not come here to hunt them. She was still a bit surprised that Axel would so readily join the villains on their hopeless cause. Rather, she was here to exterminate what remained of Xehanort's legacy.

Captain Hook raised his metal accolade. "The man had the right idea. It's time to make like a tree and leave!"

He snapped his fingers, grinning in anticipation of his dark portal. The smile faded as he realized nothing was happening.

Nervous, the other Disney villains began snapping their fingers as well. To no avail, however.

Maleficent glared at Axuqa, her eyes boiling with understanding. "You did it, didn't you? You fell to darkness!"

The Nobody stepped forward, her yellow eyes bright with glee. "I don't obey darkness, Maleficent, or anyone for that matter. If anything… darkness obeys ME."

Raising her weapon, the Nobody smiled as a orb began to form with it. Initially black, it began to take on a pattern of blue, red and purple. The orb erupted into an inferno, crashing into the Pirate leader.

Maleficent looked at the spot in shock. The explosion left only ashes, with not even Captain Hook's metal appendage surviving. The witch aimed her staff at the girl, summoning a field of thorns.

Cartwheeling away, she dodged the thorns. Suddenly, a tentacle caught her by the waist, lifting her into the air like a doll. She peered down to see the hideous face of an octopus, its lips smeared with red lipstick. The creature was grinning at her.

"Those tentacles you showed before are nothing compared to mine, sweetheart," the being mocked. "Though you are beautiful, I'm sure there's something you want in this world. Make a deal with me, and I'll-"

Ursula screamed in pain, her tentacle suddenly in half due to a stroke of her captive's Keyblade. Gracefully landing on her feet, Axuqa sneered at her.

"The fact that you're trying to make deals after what I did to Black Beard imitator over there says one thing… you're TERRIFIED."

Ursula backed away, her tentacles fumbling over each other as she did so. Aiming her Keyblade, Axuqa sent a huge ball of fire into the sea witch. Spreading her hands, the octopus created a thick shield of water. It absorbed the shock, leaving only steam in the place of the flame. Panting, the octopus glanced to her side as a second orb of flame hurled towards her.

The explosion blinded the other villains in a flash of white light. Little remained of Ursula, save for a few crisp pieces of her tentacles.

Axuqa glanced at the tentacles, licking her lips a little.

"Anyone up for calamari?" she asked them, the sadistic tone clear in her voice.

"Jeez, ten measly years go by and you go from heroine of light to dark carnivore?" Hades rhetorically asked. "I held out for a few centuries before I turned evil at least."

"Enough of this!" Maleficent announced. "She's too powerful! Surround her!"

The remaining four villains closed in on Axuqa, each preparing to attack. In response, she dug her Keyblade into the ground, closing her eyes. Angered by the taunting, Maleficent unleashed a green ray of lightning towards her. At the same time, Oogie shot a horde of locusts towards her. Hades conjured a swirl of fire, the flames racing towards her as his face turned red. Jafar blasted a purple beam towards the girl, its magic capable of knocking her unconscious.

The attacks closed in on her…

Only to hit her Reflega barrier, its crystal walls shining and mirroring the shocked expressions of those surrounding it.

Redirecting EVERY attack, the barrier fired back at the awestruck villains. Maleficent fell to the ground, her body severely weak from her own attack. Jafar felt the impact of his own spell, the beat of his heart slowing until it ceased. Hades felt the flames overrun him, which did little more than piss him off. Oogie turned on his toes, running away from a horde of locusts. He gunned for the staircase, a smile coming to his lips as he tasted freedom…

Only for a pillar of darkness to evaporate his grotesque form. The bugs faded into wisps of smoke, none of them even contacting the ground.

Hades smiled. "Aw, you saved me for last. Are we finally having our first date?"

Fighting back the bile in her mouth, Axuqa aimed her Keyblade at him. "Don't be so cocky. Just because you're a deity, doesn't mean you're invincible."

"Sorry sweetheart, but gods can't be killed," he informed her. "No matter how powerful you are, you can't strip me of my immortality."

"Perhaps," she noted. "But there are things worse than death…"

Confused by what she meant, Hades noticed a clear barrier surround him. Underneath him, blue symbols began to form on the floor. He looked up, confused as he glanced at the woman.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Giving you a taste of just desserts," she explained. "Consider it payback for manipulating people's darkness over the years."

Feeling his insides burn, Hades glanced at his arms. Scales began to protrude, covering his arms as they glinted underneath the dim light. His eyes morphed into solid shades of yellow. Two fangs jutted from his mouth, replacing where the teeth had been. The scales expanded across his body and glowed with dim blue flames. It's back began to shudder, changing in texture as something emerged: a tail with spikes on both sides. At the center of his chest, an emblem appeared, one all too familiar to Axuqa. She had seen it on countless peons slain by her Keyblade. The symbol was a heart, its outline red while its interior was black.

Hades had become a Heartless.

Growling, the creature dashed towards her like a crocodile. She aimed her weapon, yellow eyes brimming with confidence as the air began to swirl at the tip. The air grew colder, slowly turning a shade of cyan and generating specks of frost. The swirls flew toward the creature, slowing it down on impact. The creature continued to slow, its eyes growing wide with realization as its skin color began to change. Its once gray scales were more colorful, more blue. The heat that once warmed the monster was suddenly absent.

Axuqa grinned, satisfied that she had frozen the monster solid. Raising her weapon like a sledgehammer, she brought it down on the creature, smashing it into thousands of pieces.

Rather than melt into water, the cubes of ice evaporated into darkness as a heart emerged from the creature. This element was not an organ protruding arteries and veins, however. Nor was it in the shape of a typical Valentine's Day gimmick. Instead, it was a orb of pure light, its tint golden. The energy faded, which meant it had merged with the Organization's Kingdom Hearts, just like any other heart obtained from Heartless.

Turning towards the witch, Axuqa retained the smile on her face. "I must tip my hat to you, Maleficent. Darkness is definitely a powerful element."

Grunting, the witch pushed her feet against the ground. Slowly she attempted to stand, only to fall back down again.

"What's wrong?" the Nobody cooed. "Can't stand the taste of your own medicine?"

The witch narrowed her eyes. "Such insolence. Go ahead, turn me into a Heartless if you dare."

Axuqa shook her head. "No."

Maleficent blinked, her eyes wide with confusion. "No?"

"You have caused so much misery to my past life… you're part of the reason Ven still sleeps and Terra was forced to do terrible things out of amnesia. When I kill you…"

She raised her Keyblade, the tip glowing once more. This time, rather than glow with a single hue, it emitted several. Every shade of the rainbow and then some appeared at curved end of the weapon. The hues jumped from the Keyblade, taking on individual orbs as they floated in the air. Rather than fire immediately, they waited on her command.

Axuqa breathed deeply, her eyes burning with rage. "I want to see you SUFFER!"

The lights pounded against Maleficent, each burning shreds of her robe. Another round appeared, and another… each barrage penetrating the witch's form. She cried out in pain, her gasps suddenly turning into sorrowful shrieks. She watched as the lights approached her face, each speeding with a dark aura. The pain came, and with that all she could see was darkness. In a defense mechanism, her vision had blacked out to save her from the horror, despite her eyes being functional.

Suddenly, green fire erupted from the sorceress's chest. The fire spread, consuming her form like a wildfire. The conflagration continued until any human aspect of her body was gone. The flames began to fade, as did her screams, and when she was gone, not even her robe or staff remained. Everything had been destroyed from Axuqa's vengeful attack.

The Nobody mused over the sight. In previous years, she had heard rumors of Maleficent's incredible regeneration abilities. So long as one piece of her persona remained intact – even if it were just a robe – someone could revive her simply by thinking of her. Yet no matter how many followers she had, the evil fairy was dead for good.

And knowing that alone brought Axuqa closer to emotion than she had been in years, her smile almost genuine at the sight.

Satisfied with her mission complete, the woman summoned a dark portal nearby. She calmly approached it, humming as she did.

Suddenly, the portal vanished.

Stunned, the woman turned her head back and forth in a sea of confusion, searching for any member she might have missed. Her eyes darted between piles of ashes, then to Jafar's corpse.

Paranoid, Axuqa aimed her weapon. "Fire!"

A powerful burst of Firaga raced towards Jafar, consuming his lifeless body. As the flames faded, only ashes remained, mirroring the lifeless remnants of the rest.

Catching the sound of footsteps, she turned in surprise. The unknown's clothing was familiar, identical to an Organization cloak. The hood was pulled down, however, revealing his face… a face which she had grown to detest.

This man was an idealist, a man whom Axuqa held responsible for most of her suffering. Peach cheeks fumed red with anger as Axuqa took in the sight of him.

Speechless, Axuqa hoisted her Keyblade high, as if to offer it to the heavens above.

She refused to even speak his name.

"THUNDER!" she shouted, her eyes narrowed in rage.

* * *

Red sparks erupted against white walls, the colors blending seamlessly. Riku dug his foot into the ground, his breath vacuuming the air around him. Pivoting on the foot, he spun around with his blade aimed towards Xemnas. The older man raised his luminous blades, catching them. Pushing his weapons together like scissors, Xemnas twisted to his side. Ripped from Riku's hand, the blade landed on the ground.

Xemnas glanced at the discarded weapon, noting its design. Wings of an angel and demon formed a circle as the hilt, with a blue eye at the center. The hilt sprouted into a red and blue wing, resembling something of a monster's anatomy. Near the tip, a glamorous wing jutted away from the weapon. The Keyblade was neither fully dark nor fully light, but rather symbolized an ongoing struggle between the two forces.

Panting, Riku caught the man's attention, snapping him out of his gaze.

"You've done well, pupil," he emotionlessly stated. "But you could be stronger."

Riku narrowed his eyes. "How? By using darkness?"

"Try not to see the world as black and white, Riku," Xemnas said, his smile never leaving his lips. "Rather than walk the path of light or darkness, take the road in between."

His chest returning to its usual breathing rhythm, Riku squinted in confusion. Before Xemnas could elaborate, a portal erupted behind him. Turning, he saw Axuqa, her face absent of joy.

"We need to talk," she said.

Exchanging a glance with Riku, Xemnas proceeded to follow her.

"Rest for today, Riku," he commanded. "Your progress is commensurate so far."

The pair vanished in a dark portal, leaving Riku to scratch his head as he walked away.

"Commensurate? What's that word even MEAN?" he muttered.

The boy walked towards his room, still too inexperienced to use a corridor of darkness.

He still felt a bit conflicted about living with Xemnas. Being in the World that Never Was proved to be lonely, and his solitude was deepened by how unfriendly most of the Organization was. He should have asked for more time, enough to think over his decision.

But how could he have hesitated? Destiny Islands was a prison, despite its glamorous beaches, sunsets and palm trees.

Here, at least, he was free...

Or as free as he could be. Xemnas forbid him from leaving the castle grounds, claiming that the city outside was dangerous and filled with Heartless that could devour him. Until his training had progressed significantly, he could not leave without the Superior accompanying him.

The boy glanced up, realizing he had arrived at his room. He often forgot how close it was to the training facility.

Lying on the bed, Riku took in the sight of his new quarters. Having only been there a few days, he was still adjusting to it. The room was white, as if he were in an insane asylum of some sort. Even the bed and sheets spotted that color, further emphasizing the blank slate of the room.

His thoughts wandered as his eyes shut.

Back to pleasant memories.

Memories of sitting on a palm tree... with two others...

One was a boy, his hair brown and spiky. His smile mirrored his upbeat personality.

The other was a girl, her hair red like a strawberry. Her smile... was different... for Riku at least. It was warming, soothing even. Just the thought of her sped his heartbeat a bit.

He hoped he could see her soon.

Drifting off to sleep, Riku escaped reality for the moment.

* * *

The two sat in their bedroom, secluded in privacy found nowhere else in the castle. Axuqa glanced towards the desk, noticing that Xemnas had his star charm out in the open. Usually, he kept it guarded and hidden away for occasional study. Yet today it proudly exalted itself on his desk.

"What's happened?" he asked.

Snapping out of her trance seamlessly, Axuqa turned to him grimly. "Xehanort's back."

"Xehanort has returned?" Xemnas inquired skeptically.

The female deflected his suspicious gaze, evenly staring at him from her throne. His breathing relaxed, eyes shifting away from her.

The woman nodded. "I saw him with my own eyes."

She nodded. "It was him, I'm sure of it. He must have reincarnated."

Xemnas looked forward, his eyes downcast. When he had apprenticed himself under Ansem the Wise, he discussed numerous theories with his mentor. One such was the possibility of returning from death. Normally, those who die with their heart, body and soul together pass into the next world. But those who are fragmented… Heartless… Nobodies… can never truly die. Parts of them cling to the realm of the living, holding them back from whatever afterlife was in store. This rule formed a foundation of his studies with the monarch.

But like every rule, it had an exception.

Axuqa noticed his expression, her eyes widening a bit with surprise. "You were expecting this?"

"We had a theory… that if a heart and its body were separately destroyed… they would return to our realm rather than fade into oblivion," Xemnas explained. "Heartless and Nobodies aren't truly living creatures. Rather, they're tormented beings that in some ways are already dead."

He frowned as he continued. "Heartless lack the power to develop free will. They are slaves to their passions and emotions, all twisted in darkness."

"That makes our existence sound like paradise," she replied with a smirk.

He chuckled. "In some ways it is."

She examined him, her smirk fading. "You're… happy."

Xemnas turned to her, his eyes narrowed. "Axuqa, has insanity finally taken hold of you?"

"I'm serious. You seem genuinely happy."

He reclined a bit, tossing his robe aside. Underneath he wore a black shirt and pants, his muscles relaxed yet still noticeable underneath the fabric. "I'll be honest, things have been different with Riku around."

"You're showing the most emotion I've seen in years," she remarked skeptically.

What could be causing this? The last time Xemnas truly felt emotion, Axuqa was Aqua. In her human form, her heart radiated with light and leant its emotions to Xemnas as if to heal his pain from years of solitude. Once she had turned into a Nobody, however, those sensations vanished.

Could Riku be having the same effect?

Aqua now removed her robe as well, revealing her purple tank top and gray pants underneath. Xemnas glanced at her form, his eyes soaking in the sight. Even with modest clothing, Axuqa's beauty stood out to him. Growing up, the two rarely saw each other out of their usual attire. Things grew more complicated during their teenage years, with both Aqua and Terra developing an underlying attraction to each other.

Notcing his stare, Axuqa smirked. "Need some attention?"

He mirrored the expression. "If you have the time."

She motioned towards his arms, the man embracing her as she did. In this room, they weren't the feared leaders of Organization XIII. They weren't even the fierce warriors that so many foes had fallen to.

They were man and woman.

And in that simplicity, they found refuge in their primal connection.

As Xemnas closed his eyes in solace, Axuqa's eyes stared towards the ceiling. Her sapphire hair rested against the pillow as her amber orbs flashing as conflicting ideas swirled in her head.

Yet she kept smiling, doing her best to mask her thoughts should Xemnas notice her expression.


End file.
